the ice will start to break, the day will fade away
by kingofpythons
Summary: From 'TonDC's most highly respected warrior' to 'Trikru's most wanted felon,' Kova never meant to stray from the path they had carved for themselves. But when TonDC was willing to abandon the only family member they had left in the middle of a potential war? They were willing to do anything to keep their family together. [Previously The Night Our Breaths Touched] [Part 1]
1. I see grass growin' in winter's eyes

The Ark was never a long-lasting solution to the survival of the human race. All the Arkers knew this, but they just didn't know exactly _when_ they could return to Earth. Hell, for a while there were even talks of moving the last of the human race to _Mars_ instead! That's why a year ago, Bellamy never would've believed he would be one of the first Arkers on Earth. Then again, he didn't have many high expectations of the rest of his life after the Ark council found out about Octavia, his illegal sister. But the Gods had a different plan for him, he supposed.

Yes, a different plan. What a shitty plan this was. Bellamy swore he could hear the Gods laughing above his head, mocking him under the cruel predicament They created for him. That's why Bellamy was here, hidden behind a boulder with his sister beside him, like a _coward_. Kane wasn't too far away with the prisoners they managed to escape with, convincing them to find their way back home. But Bellamy knew deep down, Kane was trying to avoid the execution that was about to take place. For a second, he wished he didn't have to watch, but he threw the thought away as soon as it came. didn't want to see the execution take place.

"There they are!" A sharp whisper from Octavia grabbed his attention. "They're coming out."

The siblings moved away from the boulder and hid behind the foliage, eyes focusing past the fenced gates to the back door of the main Arkadia building. The escape group were close enough to see what was going on below, but far enough from any threats by the Arkers. The back door _whooshed_ open. Two grounders emerged from the door calmly only to be forcefully pushed into the dirt and mud. Rows of guards came through the doors just as one of the grounders angrily slammed their fist into the mud.

"Kova and Lincoln." He murmured under his breath. His heart plummeted into the ground as he heard his sister take a sharp breath, but his eyes were only focused on one of the grounders. He could see the sweat rolling down Kova's face, past their tattooed and scarred cheeks, their monobrow scrunching together, nostrils flared, jaw clenched so tight he could see the dip in their cheek even from the distance. He noticed their fingers twitched, calloused hands searching for a weapon, anything to use against their opponents in front of them and memories came flooding back into Bellamy's mind of those steady hands stitching up his wounds, of the cold tips of their fingers running down his spine in the early morning, and it hit him like a train that _'oh god they might die down there and the last thing he said to them was—'_

Bellamy hissed sharply and loosened his tight fists. Small sprinkles of blood formed as his nails carved crescent shaped marks into his palms. The pain brought him back to his surroundings— he hadn't realized Octavia had already begun weeping over her own lover, Lincoln, down there in the muddy ground by Kova's side. His sister leaned over, placing her cheek on her brother's shoulder. A cold and tight feeling washed over his body and settled deep into his chest. He tried to protect her from all the pain of the Ark, from all the problems he and his mother had to face in order to keep her alive, but this? Watching their lovers in an execution ring? This was something he couldn't even protect _himself_ from.

He brought a hand up, letting Octavia intertwine their fingers together and squeezed tightly. "I'm so sorry, Octavia." He said softly. "I wish I could've—"

"I know." Octavia interrupted with a nod. Their attention was brought back down to the ground as the newest elected Chancellor stepped out and stood in front of the two grounders.

He casually placed a hand on his gun, but hesitated when Kova and Lincoln stilled, their bodies coiled and ready to... strike? Flee? The two parties were talking, but the escape group were too far away to hear what they were saying. But Bellamy could vaguely read Kova's lips through the blurriness of his burning eyes. _"You don't have to do this, Pike."_ They pleaded, leaning almost back to back with Lincoln as the guards circle grew closer to the two. Neither Kova nor Lincoln understood why Pike's hate ran so deep for their people, but they knew history repeats itself in the hands of bigots. Surrounded by Chancellor Pike's guardsmen with guns and stun batons, and the electric wired walls of Arkadia blocking them from their escape path, it seemed impossible for the two to escape.

" _Yes, I do."_ The Chancellor spoke. Octavia's weeping grew into sobs and a dreadful lump formed at the bottom of Bellamy's throat. For a brief second he thought it was raining, with grey clouds rolling and covering the skies, but it was only when he felt tears gather at his chin and his whole body started to shake viciously, uncontrollably, did he realize he was crying. More tears followed the path down his cheeks. He looked back to the scene below and noticed something in Kova's eyes changed. They discreetly turned their head, as if they were counting how many guards they were surrounded by. But it was always those eyes of theirs that gave away their intentions. They scanned past the guards, past the fence and towards the hill, where all the dead foliage and forest was. Where the escape group was. Where _Bellamy_ was. A flicker of hope warmed Bellamy's body that maybe they'll find him, that maybe they'll make eye contact, that maybe they'll _acknowledge_ each other at the very least.

 _'You're close. Over here, to your left!'_ He practically begged for some God out there to give him telepathy, or to show Kova where they were. Those dark, focused eyes. Sharp. Prowling about. Only when there was danger around, only when a life - whether it be their own or a loved one's - was in danger.

His breathing hitched in his throat.

 _Closer— there!_

He let out a shaky breath he didn't know he was holding, as if his loved one's eyes connecting with his solved all his problems, all his issues and worries. The last time he had seen or spoken to them was at the end of their argument, before Kova had been accused of treason and taken away by the guardsmen as prisoner, alongside their brother. _'Please, I'm so sorry for everything.'_

The moment their eyes landed on him, their eyes widened and their lips parted in shock. Kova's body uncoiled just slightly, the tenseness underneath their muscles relaxing slowly, bit by bit. Their eyes softened tremendously and it was like watching a whole different person. As if they knew what he was trying to say, what he was apologizing for, they nodded their head in response, as if to say _'I know, and I forgive you.'_ The corner of their lip twitched, as if they were restraining a smile.

He couldn't help but openly smile back, but his eyes and throat burned like crazy. He vaguely felt Octavia's palm on his back in comfort as more tears rolled down his cheeks and he bowed his head, wiping the tears off with the back of his hand. He looked back at Kova, who to his surprise had tears rolling down their cheeks as well. Pike must have spoken, because Kova quickly wiped their face down discreetly and took on the same look they had before seeing Bellamy. He could see a flash of determination through both Kova and Lincoln's eyes as they met each other, a language only the siblings knew fluently. " _Lincoln and Kova of Trikru,"_ Pike continued, neglecting their significant look as he began to walk around them in a circle. " _You both have been sentenced to death by the rights of the Exodus charter."_ Pike passed by Lincoln, whose large frame was big enough for him to pass an apple shaped object to Kova from his belt without alerting anyone. They easily took hold of heavy object in their hands and hid it inconspicuously while moving positions.

"Oh god." Kane breathed out, his mouth slacked as his eyes widened in horror. "What, what's wrong? What is it?" Bellamy leaned towards Kane as the older man whispered in his ear. With every word Bellamy's eyebrows pulled together and his grip on Octavia's hand tightened. He looked at Kane, fear and pain in his eyes. "You gave Lincoln a _what?!"_

"Bell, what is it?" Octavia asked but he couldn't bring himself to tell her. His eyes were locked on his lover down in the pit and he thought of all the things he should've said, the things he shouldn't have said and everything in between.

" _Do either of you have any last words?"_ Pike asked as he brought out his gun, standing in front of the two grounders." _Not for you."_ Lincoln said. From the distance nobody from the escape group could hear the sharp _'click!'_ but the guardsmen visibly tensed at the sound.

Bellamy never would've expected to be one of the first Arkers on Earth, let alone fall in love with one of the indigenous humans of Earth after the nuclear war. After all, how could he when he needed to keep his friends alive in this harsh new world? But there he was behind the foliage, wishing he could go back in time and fix his mistakes. He felt his heart pound in his ears and fall apart as he watched Kova, his person, his lover, throw an active grenade straight up in the air, fire burning in their eyes.

This is the story of how Bellamy lost the love of his life.


	2. a new dawn

Vaguely based on 01x01/before 01x01

" _Words in a sentence._ " Means they're talking in Trigedasleng | "Words in a sentence." Means they're talking in English | _'Words in a sentence.'_ Means thoughts

* * *

 **September 13, Year 2** **149**

 **Trikru Territory**

 **Arton Valley, Warrior Camp** **site**

* * *

Overnight the rain had fallen steadily upon the vast lush valleys, leaving both the plateaus and hills well soaked and muddy. Despite the leftover dense humidity radiating from the forest, the ground covered in orange and read leaves, the sky was blue and cloudless. In one particular plain there was a controlled campfire with organized tents surrounding it. Slowly but surely the warriors of TonDC awakened with the sun, and began leaving their tents to prepare for a long day ahead of them. The morning ritual went by as usual — have breakfast, spend free time to themselves or socialize with other warriors, then stretch and prepare for training that the Chief had planned. Most of the warriors were used to fighting on slippery and muddy grounds after years and almost decades of experience, but that didn't stop a few from complaining to their friends about how tough training would be today.

" _It's so humid out,"_ one warrior groaned, sitting on top of a makeshift chair with their friends. _"There's no way I'll be able to train today with my hair like this."_ Their hands were buried in their tight curly hair, trying to form a more comfortable hairstyle but gave up with another groan, dropping their hands in frustration. All the heat and sweat plastered loose strands to their skin.

 _"Kova, you know winter is coming soon, right?"_ One of their friends said from their left. _"You should book an appointment with Ona soon before he's full."_

 _"Yeah, eventually I will. I think with all the extra training we've been doing lately, I might have to do it on a day off."_ Kova sighed and set their chin on the palm. _"What about you, Idan? You already booked?"_

 _"My appointment is later today."_ Idan smiled at them. _"I booked it months ago. Also your brother is here."_ She said and pointed past them. _"You should ask him to help, he knows how to tame that hair of yours well."_

Kova turned around with a grin on their face. _"Huh, I didn't realize he was visiting today. I'm gonna go bother him, I'll see you later!"_ They ran off without another word until they caught up with the man in question. They threw an arm around his shoulder and pulled him down slightly. " _Lincoln!"_

The man in question stopped walking in surprise and turned around. His eyes landed on Kova and visibly softened at the sight of his sibling. _"Kova. It's been a while."_ They released their arm and smiled brightly up at him. The two hadn't seen each other in weeks since the last time their campsites intersected. There was a small smile on his face and a hint of endearment in them. Kova knew that look instantly, it was because of their height difference! The top of Kova's head could just barely tickle the bottom of his nose, so it was impossible to not look up at him. They lightly pushed him in jest and he couldn't help but laugh. _"What do you want from me this time, hmm?"_ He teased as gaining his balance again.

" _Do you mind doing my hair for me? I can't do anything in this weather."_

He hesitated for a second, considering the limited amount of time there was until he saw the ridiculous knot that _should_ have been a braid. He had to physically hold back a snort. _"Yeah, I can help. Do you want the usual style?"_

" _Yes please!"_

* * *

War had always been prevalent before the coalition officially formed. After the Foresakening, where millions of people died from nuclear attacks, resources were scarce and territory _had_ to be claimed. That's why the Azgeda-Trikru war was still considered ongoing, for the two tribes still fought over Suquenan river. Only the Gods know how many lives were lost after the battle of Caocin Mountain. And Trikru needed more. The strongest and most capable of every family were required to train under the warriors, with very little exceptions. Seeing as the two were the strongest of their families, Kova and Lincoln trained together under Chief Indra's unit the moment they reached the minimum age and had each others backs on both the training grounds and battlefields.

As a result, it was hard to distinguish the true winner of their sparring sessions whenever they were paired up together. Their fighting styles were so similar that they could predict any move the other makes. Eventually a simple mistake or exhaustion would show the winner of the spar. Chief Indra rarely set them together for this reason, but every once in awhile she liked to indulge in the other trainees' requests. The whole unit loved to watch the two fight each other.

The sun wasn't at its peak just yet but its rays burned down upon the Earth. Training was now in session at the camp, with many partners sparring in the middle of the circular man-made plain. Most were dirtied with sludge, sweat, blood, or all three. Chief Indra circled around, pointing out flaws and weakness in their fighting styles and how to improve. In a timed pattern she would switch out one person for another so everyone could get their fair share of training. Some partners practiced with their weapon of choice while others only used hand to hand combat.

It seemed like the chief wanted a show today. To Kova and Lincoln's surprise, they were eventually paired up together. Once the sets of warriors had moved from the now messy plain, Lincoln and Kova stood on opposing sides.

 _"Begin!"_ The moment the Chief waved her hand the two clashed in the middle, slamming dropkicks and throwing punches, but even fast combinations were met with blocks. Rarely did either of them land a hit on the other, but with the slippery and uneven mud underneath their feet, it was hard to control their footing.

With their left foot forward in a lunge position, Kova was about to throw a hook punch to his unprotected side but their foot slid along the mud. Using this to his advantage, Lincoln swung his leg and knocked his shinbone into the back of their knee, forcing them to drop into the dirt. One could see the way Kova's face changed from eyes wide with shock to a heavy sigh of defeat, bowing their head.

" _Even the Earth, the very thing that gives us life, can kill us in battle."_ Indra lectured the warriors surrounding them, who murmured in agreement." _Fighting against others is easier than fighting against the elements, remember that!"_

Lincoln offered Kova a hand to help them up. They thanked him briefly before returning to their side of the training ground. With another wave of her hand, Indra ordered practice spears to be tossed in. They both grabbed a spear and set the shafts against each other as the traditional way to start.

 _"Begin!"_ The plastic tips slammed against one another, swinging and blocking the other's spear. Of course they played a little dirty and threw some punches in - no battle is predictable, after all. Kova threw a heavy swing at Lincoln's chest and even though his back leg was supporting his balance, his foot slipped and sunk deep into the mud. Kova's eyes glinted, a shine he recognized as a sure win. They swept the back of his knee with the wooden part of the spear and even though he prepared, braced for it, his knee bent under him.

 _ **Boom!**_

Lincoln hadn't felt the sweep until his body slammed into the sludge, sending bits of dirt flying everywhere. Disoriented from how quickly he fell and the loss of breath, he hadn't notice the silent background around him. He sat up on his elbows with a small smile to congratulate them, but instead he came face to face with the sharp edge of the spear. Confused at why Kova haven't pulled back yet, he looked up at his sibling but they weren't even looking at him.

Actually, nobody was. None of the surrounding warriors, not even Chief Indra's eyes were on them. They all looked up at the sky. He followed their sights and paled slightly. A foreign object flew from space, leaving a trail of debris, smoke, and fire behind as it broke through the atmosphere. The spacecraft was a good distance away, but the crash was still loud enough to shake the Earth and collapse even the biggest trees and send birds flying in the opposite direction.

* * *

 _"Send messengers to villages around the area and warn them of danger!"_

 _"Yes Chief!"_

" _You, send out a rider to Lieutenant Anya and inform her of the situation!"_

" _Yes ma'am!"_

Indra shouted orders left and right, veins beginning to pop out of her skin from how much she was yelling. She swiveled around to face Kova and Lincoln, who were waiting for orders. " _You two, go lead the scouts out there. If my intuition is correct, I believe they are the descendants of the Betrayers. Go gather information."_

Their faces darkened at her words, but they agreed and ran off to gather the scouting teams. Everyone knew the history of between the Deserted and the Betrayers, but no one knew if the Betrayers survived space.

 _'I guess we know now.'_

* * *

 **September 13, Y** **ear 2149**

 **Trikru Territory**

 **Senaah Forest, Landing Site**

* * *

Meters away from the dropship, Lincoln sat high up in the trees in the middle of a thick branch, quietly observing the newcomers while taking notes and drawing in his notebook. It had only been a few hours since the foreigners landed, yet they caused such an uproar that the coalition was alerted and getting ready to meet to decide their next course of action. The foreigners were beginning to organize themselves. So far he drew their base, their strange clothing style, and counted 99 people. Apparently two of them died in the landing, since their bodies were dragged out and buried.

His eyes gradually became fixated on a sky girl running around camp with long brown hair and a fire behind dark brown eyes. As the very first one out of the spaceship, she was the most impressionable out of all of them. Her enthusiasm and carefree personality drew him to her, and he couldn't help but fill a page or two with her face.

" _Something catch your eye?"_

Lincoln has always been very hard to surprise but at his weakest moment, an unexpected whisper near his ear had him lose his balance and almost fall out of the tree. The open notebook on his thigh was closed and taken before it could fall and cause a disturbance.

" _Keep quiet."_ Kova uttered quietly, opening the book in their hand. There was no change in the newcomers' activities. It seemed like they didn't notice them.

The loud beating of his heart toned down as the shock faded. " _You shouldn't sneak up on anyone here."_ He cast a weary glance to the left at his new companion, down to the book in their lap, then back to the camp.

" _You should've heard me, no one can climb a tree quietly."_ They mused, eyes sparkling with mischief. " _Anyways what do you have so far?"_ They took a seat between him and the thick trunk and skimmed through the book up to the page with the feather bookmark. They didn't notice his stiff posture after he realized they had his book. " _No one was expecting the Betrayers to survive. So far two have died, most likely from the impact of landing. We also think there's a scavenger group preparing to leave now. It seems like they might be heading towards Mount Weather."_ The book opened to a drawing of the camp in front of them, as well as an unfinished drawing of the sky girl. To their surprise, a couple of pages back revealed the same woman.

" _Oh?"_ An eyebrow raised, " _It seems like some_ _ **one**_ _caught your eye."_ Kova tucked the feather back into the middle crease of the book and closed it, holding it out to him. Flustered, Lincoln hastily stashed the book back into his pouch.

Saving him from further embarrassment, Kova switched their gaze elsewhere. An awkward silence fell between them as the camp carried on with its noise in the background. In all these years, Lincoln had never shown any sign of romantic interest towards anyone, so admittedly Kova was stumped. But there was no avoiding this talk, especially about a child of the betrayers.

" _Lincoln,_ _it's only been a few hours and we still don't know much about them. You must be careful and not become attached. I'm not sure if Trikru will declare war or not—"_

" _I know, I understand."_ He cut them off.

" _Do you? We're already on the brink of war with Azgeda, do you really think this will help that?"_ They said rather harshly. " _I get it."_ Lincoln punctuated.

 _ˆWow, what a great talk.'_ A deep sigh passed their lips, causing their body to slouch. They patted his knee, gesturing him to stand with a quick heads up. " _I have to take over your watch, so go report back to the Chief before she wonders why you're taking so long."_

" _Got it."_


	3. don't hold me back

Vaguely based on 01x06

* * *

 **September 24, Year 2149**

 **Trikru Territory**

 **Senaah Forest, Near Landing Site**

* * *

There were four main ranks of Trikru's military. Commander Lexa currently stands at the top of the food chain as the winner of the last conclave. Her power at first was unstable because many people of Trikru were rooting for Luna before she ran away, but Commander Lexa earned her power through her actions as the leader of Trikru and the Coalition as a whole. Her orders were completely absolute, anyone who dared challenge her would face horrific consequences. The second most powerful were the Generals, who served as the bridge between the county and their Commander. The third most powerful were the unit leaders, also known as the Lieutenants, who control large amounts of warriors from many villages and cities, averaging around 600 soldiers. Finally there were the Chiefs, who break the Lieutenants warriors into smaller sections in order to train them well.

Chief Indra's message made it to her Lieutenant, Anya. When Anya was informed, she forwarded the message to both the general of the county — Tristan — and the Commander herself. Lexa was furious when she learned about the intrusion and ordered additional scouts to observe the area around the landing site and increased the amount of warriors in the nearby villages as a precaution to potential threats. Suspicion skyrocketed after scouts discovered the sky people created a scavenger group that traveled as far as the river before the mountain.

The reason why was still unknown but the last thing Kova heard about the incident was from Idan, who claimed to see the whole situation herself. A sky boy was speared down by a warrior for crossing the river boundary. He was eventually rescued with the help of the other sky people, and apparently a gun. The idea of the intruders having a weapon like that — extinct and taboo to many kyongedons — sent everyone in a frenzy. It was unknown to any of them if the boy was still alive. Are they working with the mountain people? Are they people who know of human history before the Foresakening? Did they already have access to the internet?

There were too many questions, too many unknown variables.

 _"Lincoln!"_ Kova pushed the flap of the tent aside as they entered his shared tent. Lincoln looked up at the sound of his name, a letter in his hands and a bag packed with his things. _"Ah man,"_ Kova dropped their hands, letting their own letter flutter to the floor. _"Did you get it? The mission?"_ He nodded his head, handing the letter to them. _"Oh wow, you're a facilitator?"_ They beamed up at him, frantically shaking the letter. _"Congrats! It must be exciting!"_

 _"What did they give you?"_

They sighed and picked up their own letter from the floor. They played with the paper for a moment before passing it to him. _"We won't see each other for a while, then. I got assigned as one of the protectors for Fort Nauk, we'll be leaving in a few days."_

 _"I'm leaving in the morning."_ Lincoln mumbled, holding his letter tight. _"Will you be okay without me?"_

They couldn't help but scoff, a smile pulling at the corner of their lips. _"I better be fine, there's a whole village depending on me and my group, no?"_

He frowned, and they knew a lecture was coming. _"Kova."_ He said, placing a hand on their arm. _"Be serious. Will you be alright?"_ He didn't like the way his sibling tapped their fingers nervously and looked to the side. _"Caocin Mountain was one of the worst battles, and you went through it. It's fine to not be okay, you know. "_

Exasperated, they nodded and looked at him. _"Yes, I know. It has nothing to do with that."_

 _"Then what is it?"_

 _"I just don't trust them."_ They said. _"The Betrayers. Ever since they came down, nothing feels right."_ Kova shook their head, scratching at their scalp. _"Never mind, I'll be fine. You be careful too though, yeah?"_

He hesitated, but nodded his head. _"Of course."_

* * *

Something was wrong with Lincoln. He had already left early in the morning with his group, but something was just off about the whole situation. Usually a mission like this would _never_ bother Kova as much since the siblings had gone longer times without seeing each other and without knowing if they were okay, but this time was different. Throughout the whole day, something squirmed in Kova's stomach and itched at the back of their head and the feeling would definitely not stop until they checked in on him.

Unfortunately, none of the salvaged and bootleg radios were working. They used to work a few decades ago until everyone started getting this weird frequency interference that most radio-workers said was from the lingering radiation. Instead, Kova decided to visit the travelling group after training finished. If they didn't check on him, there's no way they could focus on their mission in a few days.

" _Hey everyone,"_ Kova approached the group circled around the campfire. Most were eating or talking, but there were a few scattered around who were simply napping. " _do any of you know where Lincoln is?"_

" _We were wondering when you were going to pop up."_ One scout greeted them with a firm grip to their forearm, which Kova reciprocated. " _Lincoln said he was returning home for the night to grab something he forgot."_ The scout gave them a smile.

" _Oh, perfect. Thank you."_ Kova returned the look, though it wasn't quite genuine. ' _Lincoln would never forget something, so what is he doing?'_

The moon began to replace the sun's position in the sky. Once the sun hit the horizon, the sky turned into different colors of blues and purples.

 _'It's too late to go to his house.'_ They thought as they walked back to their new position in the village. The sun was starting to replace its position in the sky with the moon. Once it hit the horizon, the sky turned into a mix of blues and purples. _'I'll check on him tomorrow, then.'_

* * *

 **September 25, Year 2149**

 **Trikru Territory**

 **Just Outside of Tondc, Lincoln's Home**

* * *

 _"Man, do I regret not coming yesterday."_ Kova muttered to themselves, staring at the door of Lincoln's home that was thrown off to the side in the bushes surrounding it. The cave was exposed to the elements long enough for dust and dirt to be blown in, but recent enough that there were no leafs trailing down the steps or on top of the makeshift door. Judging by the tracks in the dirt, what happened was recent — maybe within the past three hours.

Although they trained for missions similar to this, Kova couldn't help but panic when they heard rustling coming from the house. _'Ah shit...'_ For a second they thought of diving into the foliage to hide, but the rustling could cause a problem. Whoever was in there could come after them. Just as footsteps traveled up the stairs they ran behind the bushes and peeked through them to see what was going on. Their hand reflexively went down to the knife in their pocket. They didn't have enough time to physically check which weapons they brought just in case they needed to fight.

Two boys stepped out of the entrance, dragging someone else between them. One boy carried someone's legs and the other carried them by the arms. The moment they passed the stairs, they dropped the body and hunched over in exhaustion. "Why is he so damn heavy?" One of them asked, wiping their sweat off with the back of their hand.

Eyes wide in recognition, Kova cursed under their breath. ' _Lincoln, you fool.'_ Kova had never seen those two boys before, but their clothing style was an obvious indicator they weren't part of the 12 clans, nor part of the mountain men. They must be the kids from the dropship. ' _How did they even find him? They must have followed him.'_

Fingers curled around the hilt of the knife and ready to rip it out of its sheath but Kova hesitated in killing those two boys. They were reminded of the scouts' reports when they first checked out the dropship. When sky people first landed, the scouts' reports contrasted with others, so it was unclear on their abilities. Kova never saw these kids fight, but one scout did and said they were out for blood and revenge. Another scout said they fought like how young children do over a toy. The sky people were unpredictable. The other reason they hesitated was because the sky people's scavenger group took their companion while fighting off a ferocious animal. Based on reports there was only one gun in that group, but who knew if there were more? Who knew how many guns they could possibly have? As much as Kova would hate to admit it, they had no chance if the two boys had a gun on them. It would kill them quicker than they could even touch them.

While they were thinking about their next plan of action, the two picked Lincoln up again and dragged him away from the house. The best plan they could think of was to ask the scouts around the camp to help them take Lincoln out of there. Kova played it safe and followed the boys to the camp.

Who knows, maybe the scouts will agree?

* * *

 **September 25, Year 2149**

 **Trikru Territory**

 **Senaah Forest, Near Landing Site**

* * *

 _"_ _Are you going to tell me how this happened or will you just stand there and waste my time?"_

Shaking their head, Kova snapped out of their daze. After following the two boys they separated from sky people's path and headed towards the facilitator's watching tree just as Lincoln was dragged into the camp. Apparently Lincoln's duty was replaced immediately following his absence by General Tristan, who was overseeing the unit. As soon as Kova climbed the tree they bowed respectfully to the general. The murmurs from the camp distracted them from Tristan, who demanded to know why the invaders had one of their own. Tristan grew frustrated when Kova couldn't explain how the managed to abduct their brother.

" _I've already told you everything I know, General. What can we do?"_

" _Nothing,"_ Tristan merely observed as Lincoln's unconscious body disappeared into the dropship. " _Lincoln has been compromised. There is nothing left we can do for him, however you should hope he makes it out alive."_

 _"General, Lincoln is one of the most loyal warriors at this camp. You're just going to abandon him?"_

He turned his head to the side at them and glanced down at their clenched fists. " _Tell me, did you even have a plan ready before you came?"_

" _Not...exactly."_ Kova kept their eyes fixated to the ground. " _I was hoping to make a plan with your squadron. We can't just leave him—"_

" _From what I've heard about you, you're letting your emotions mix with your duty."_ His words shut them up quickly. _"Chief Indra always speaks highly of you and Unit Leader Anya has agreed with her."_ He faced them and placed a hand on their shoulder. " _After what happened in Mount Caocin, you're very well known for your plan making."_ He didn't see the way they grimaced at the reminder, or maybe he just didn't care. _"I understand that he is your brother, but we cannot risk the plan."_ His nailed dug into their shoulder, painful enough to make them narrow their eyes at the pain but no other obvious change of emotion appeared on their face. " _Do_ _ **not**_ _interfere."_ He warned, clasping his hands behind his lower back and turning away. " _Who knows what kind of punishment could be planned for you. You're dismissed."_

Gritting their teeth, Kova bowed their head once more just to please him. " _Yes sir."_ They descended the tree. There was a piece of them that expected this to happen. Of course the warriors wouldn't want to rescue Lincoln if it meant risking their mission, especially with the higher ups breathing down their necks. Despite their understanding of this, the only thing on Kova's mind was getting their brother back.

Tristan's words only made them seething with spite. Instead of being the "good little warrior," they found an isolated tree and sat on a sturdy branch that hung above the camp. There were too many thoughts running through their head. ' _If I refuse the order and go by myself, they will punish me. If I don't help him, who knows what those sky people will do to him?'_

While thinking of Lincoln's home, Kova recalled he had multiple masks lying around the cave from the library, where Lincoln taught and took care of the kids who visited. They loved creating their future warrior masks, and was often a way of them preparing for maturity. ' _What if they don't know its me saving him?'_ They rested their chin on the back of their hand. ' _Of course they'll be suspicious, but they won't have any proof it was me.'_

Something shiny flickered past their eye. Their attention was brought to the chain of people below packing nuts into small packages. ' _Just rations.'_ They were going to move on to making a plan, but then they noticed what kind of nut the sky people were packaging. ' _Jobi nuts?'_

A new plan formulated in their head, a smirk appeared on their face. But it would have to wait. Kova looked up at the dark clouds rolling across the sky and climbed back down the tree.

A storm was coming.


	4. the path we take

Based on 01x08

* * *

 **September 27, Year 2149**

Trikru Territory

Senaah Forest, Delinquent's Campsite

* * *

"I'm gonna go pee." The tent flapped open, exposing Jasper to the cool air. He just had to leave Monty behind with his pine cone — the sexual tension between the two was growing a little too weird for Jasper. The nuts Jasper had were _really_ good, he could still taste them in his watering mouth. He walked up to one of the secluded sections of the walls protecting the camp and threw his empty pack of nuts to the side. Shortly after unzipping his pants, he caught a glimpse of someone sprinting past the wall on the other side. "What the…"

Jasper shook his head and stepped closer to the hole to get a better look. His pupils dilated and the world felt...fuzzier, for the lack of a better word. God, what were those nuts?

Octavia on the other hand was having the time of her life, sewing some furs together while sitting on a log instead of doing more productive thing. Bellamy was a good brother, but his doting was really cramping her social life down here on the ground. She just wanted to have fun, _("Octavia!")_ was that too hard to ask for? She spent her whole _("Octavia!")_ life underneath that stupid floor—

"Octavia!" Jasper shouted, running up to her and unaware of the looks he was getting from the other teens. He gripped her shoulders and rocked her back and forth. "Listen, I think I'm going crazy, or the grounders are here — or I'm going crazy and—"

"Wait slow down!" She pushed his hands off her shoulders and held the sides of his arms. "Relax and tell me what you saw." In the midst of describing his experience at the wall, he saw the grounder standing in the middle of the camp. "Him, he's right there! Why isn't anyone doing anything?" His shout caught everyone off guard, and more people were starting to question his sanity as they passed on by.

"Jasper, there's no one there. Stop it!" Her eyes flickered between him and the area he was pointing too. "Are you on something?"

"We're all gonna die," He mumbled softly. As if resigned to his fate, he ate more of the nuts he had in his pocket. Octavia snatched the pack from his hand and examined it. "Is this all you've eaten today?"

"It doesn't matter now, we're all gonna die anyways."

' _Oh, he's definitely high as shit.'_ She thought. "Hold on." She looked to her left and seized a stray stick from the forest floor. "Here, take this."

"It's...just a branch?"

"No," She wiggled her finger, "this here? It's an anti-grounder stick. If you hold on to it and sit right here, the grounders won't be able to see you."

He immediately dropped to the floor, clutching the stick tight in his arms as if it were his life line. "Yeah, that makes sense. I'll just stay right here then."

"Of course it makes sense." She patted his back and spotted the boxes full of the jobi nuts. "Just stay right here."

* * *

While the storm was passing, Kova fixed the door of Lincoln's home to take shelter from the weather and organized their plan. By switching out the clothes to seem like an unrecognizable Trikru warrior, they could safely enter the camp without getting shot down by Tristan's scouts. They made sure to keep their weapons on and walked over to the chest full of masks. Picking through the masks for full face coverage, there was one that they dropped as if it burnt them. The full faced mask was a dirtied greenish-brown color with two curved horns at the forehead. The face was designed similarly to the head of a snake with designs curving around the face and concealed holes for the eyes, nose, and mouth.

The designs originated from an infamous group of people named Emerald Boas, who branched out from the Floukru people and were officially recognized by the Coalition as outlaws for stealing from the wealthy and privileged to redistribute to the poor. However since there was no proof that they were related to the direct government of Floukru, the Coalition couldn't accuse Floukru of incompetence. They were typically referred to as the modern day Robin Hoods, providing protection to people who seek sanctuary and peace, they became popular to political peacemakers on how to argue for harmony.

 _'If Lincoln has a mask, he must have been one of them. Or he's still with them.'_

Kova easily adjusted it over their face.

The area they planned to climb over was mostly concealed by vegetation and was avoided by both sky people and Trikru spies. Intruding was easy — all Kova had to was climb a hanging tree, crawl to their side of the barrier, and fall into the bushes. But then this guy just _had_ to take a piss right when they ran past the crack. They hadn't even seen the hole in the wall and briefly wondered if anyone else did.

' _The boy who crossed the river is alive?'_ The boy shouting about grounders in the camp made their heart race rapidly. Kova looked like a deer in headlights despite being shielding from the rest of the camp's view by the thick bushes they were surrounded by. Every muscle and tendon in their body was tense, ready for anything at any moment. But he didn't even glimpse in their direction. The warrior was tempted to laugh at the looks the other invaders sent him, even the girl he was talking to. Watching him collapse to the ground with a stick the girl gave him, a smirk appeared on their lips. ' _Terrifying. I can't believe I worried over something like that. At least the jobi nuts are working now.'_

A note they mentally made was the same sky girl who gave the boy the stick went around camp to hand out more of the nuts. Kova switched their gaze to more important matters — the spaceship, if you could even call it that. They speculated that's where Lincoln was being kept. Sticking to the shadows and approaching the dropship by keeping to its side, Kova sneaked past the curtains and slid behind some bins to the side of the entrance before anyone could see them.

The same sky girl climbed up a ladder and opened the hatch, spoke to someone inside briefly and came back down to leave. A few moments after she left, a different boy clumsily scaled down the ladder and fell off when his foot missed a bar. He shook it off and stumbled past right past Kova's hiding spot and walked through the curtains.

Once they both left, their determined eyes set on the ladder.

 _'Now to save Lincoln.'_

* * *

After Miller left in a daze from the nuts, Lincoln reflected over the past few days. Four days ago, he took the sky girl to heal her after she tumbled down a hill and hurt herself. Three days ago the scouts executed their attack on the scavenger group and Lincoln had to save her again after she escaped. Two days ago Lincoln was captured by the scavenger group, but not without stabbing one of them with his poisoned knife. One day ago after he woke from his unconscious state with his arms and legs bounded by wire, he wondered if they would do anything to him. Today, he understood he would die a prisoner. The torture was something he had never been through before. That's what he thought, anyways.

His ear picked up the hiss of the hatch opening. He barely had enough energy to lift his head, but was glad he did when he saw the person climbing up the ladder. Though their clothing style changed, their straight posture was a dead giveaway to who was under the familiar snake mask. Kova gently closed the hatch.

" _Kova?"_

" _Lincoln!"_ Pushing the mask back to rest on top of their head they hurried over to him. The heat of anger spread through the sibling's body when they saw the wounds on him. " _What the hell did they do to you?_ " His back hurt from standing straight the whole time. Kova tore out a knife from a pocket and slashed the ropes that held his arms. He immediately bent over and tenderly touched his raw wrists.

" _How did you find me?"_

" _I visited you just as those two guys carried you out of your house. The other scouts didn't want to do anything to ruin the mission, especially with Tristan and Lexa involved._ "

They crouched to sever the bottom ropes. When they stood up, sudden relief filled his body and he almost collapsed into them. " _Hey, I'm here. You're okay now._ " They soothed, bringing a hand up to the side of his neck.

" _I'm tired..._ " He murmured.

Delicately Kova brought their foreheads together, staring him down in the eye. " _I know, but we're not safe yet,_ _we have to go now while they're still hallucin_ —"

The sound of the hatch opening again caught them both off guard. Kova stepped in front of Lincoln and swiveled around. Their left hand pulled a sword out of its sheath attached to their hip and the other dropped the mask to conceal their identity. Octavia pulled herself into the room just as Kova prepared to pounce, but the only thing that stopped them was Lincoln's hand on their shoulder.

"Wait, don't. Not her, she's a friend."

Octavia didn't realize there was someone else in the room and was frozen in shock, especially with the sword pointed at her neck. Kova was frozen in place because of Lincoln's words. Despite the questionable look they gave him, they returned the sword back into its casing without hesitation.

A twitch of nervousness in Octavia's hand caught their eye. "Those clothes, are they for him?" They motioned to the clothes the sky girl gripped in her hand.

"Yeah, sorry I just wasn't expecting anyone here. We have to hurry." She held out the the shirt to them while she fixed the jacket's arms. Kova usually wouldn't trust anyone, but they were running out of time and Lincoln already said this woman was friendly. Scrunching up the bottom of the shirt to the neck hole they guided Lincoln through the shirt. The fabric chafed against his wounds and he let out a small painful groan.

"I know you're exhausted, but you can rest at home. Right now we have to go." He bobbed his head sloppily in acknowledgment and allowed Octavia to slide the jacket on. The two supported him on either side with an arm over their shoulders and helped him shuffle his way down to the step to the hatch.

' _Do you mind going down first? I want to say goodbye.'_ Lincoln asked.

' _Of course, let me thank her first.'_

He moved his arm off their shoulder and leaned against the railing of the ladder. Kova squatted to yank the hatch open and faced Octavia with their forearm out. The other arm held the mask up so she could see their face. "Thank you for helping him escape." Unsure what to do, Octavia slowly held her forearm out in a similar fashion. Kova gripped her arm firmly with a softer expression. "If I didn't come, he still would have gotten out safely with your help."

"He shouldn't have been in this situation in the first place." Octavia's eyes flashed to his so quickly Kova almost didn't notice. "I'm sorry this happened to him, I really did try to stop it."

"I understand, and I do not blame you for your people's mistakes." They dropped the mask and turned to Lincoln. "I'll meet you downstairs." They grabbed the railing and climbed down the ladder without another word. Halfway down, their foot missed a bar as a thought smacked right into them. _'She's the girl from the book. That's the girl Lincoln was watching before. He's saying more than goodbye, isn't he?'_ Once they landed on the floor, Kova tilted their head back at the open hatch to see Lincoln leaning towards Octavia and out of sight. A smug look appeared on their face but Lincoln hadn't notice when he came down. They led him past the curtains and turned into the bushes away from everyone's view. He wouldn't be able to climb out, so they would have to go through the exit.

" _You just said goodbye, hmm?"_

" _What's that look on your face for?"_ He leaned on the wall for extra support.

" _I just wasn't aware they kissed each other to say goodbye."_

He scrunched his nose at their teasing, and looked to the side to avoid the cheeky look he was certain they had on their face. " _Kova—"_

Their teasing behavior changed when they were face to face with a sober sky boy. Lincoln recognized him as Finn, the boy he stabbed before he was knocked out. He communicated this as a 'warning' to his sibling and they flexed their hand on the hidden knife in their pocket. To both their surprise, the knife wasn't necessary. Finn jutted his head towards the exit and stepped to the side with his hands up. The two didn't bother to question him, they moved slowly towards the opening as if one wrong move would set alarms off within the camp. They kept their eyes on him until they passed by the walls to the edge of the bundled trees, then they swiftly wobbled into the forest.


	5. like a ch-ch-ch-cherry bomb!

Based off of 01x09

* * *

 **September 28, Year 2149**

 **Trikru Territory**

 **Arton Valley, Warrior Campsite**

* * *

" _Was it you?"_

" _What are you talking about?"_

The palms of his hands slammed against the top of the table. General Tristan leaned over, their noses just an inch apart. " _Kova, you know exactly what I'm talking about. Were you the one who rescued Lincoln?"_

Kova would never be snarky to any of the higher ups — not to their face at least — but since they knew their tracks were covered despite being interrogated, they just couldn't help it. Especially since they were being held in an old dusty interrogation room on one of their only days off with one of the most disgusting generals they've met in their life.

" _I didn't even know Lincoln was rescued until this morning."_ Leaning back in their chair, the lie slipped easily off Kova's tongue. " _I had nothing to do with it."_

The general's cheeks flushed in anger but just as he opened his mouth he was interrupted by a knock on the door. ' _Thank the gods for that.'_ Kova thought as the door opened. One of Tristan's underlings came into the room, wringing their hands nervously before bringing one up to whisper behind into Tristan's ear. They both glanced at the accused and once the underling finished, they respectfully took their leave.

He shut his eyes tightly and pinched the space between them, a migraine forming from dehydration and little to no sleep. Kova sent a smirk towards Tristan when he opened and narrowed his eyes at them. " _Your alibi is sound and there is no evidence that it was you."_ He said, gritting his teeth with every word. Before Kova could begin to stand he placed his hands on the table to grab their attention. " _The investigation is still ongoing, don't think you're safe."_

" _Whatever you say, sir."_

* * *

 **September 29, Year 2149**

 **Trikru Territory**

 **Arton Valley, Warrior Campsite**

* * *

When Kova returned to training the day after the interrogation, there was a strange ambiance of the campsite. Something dropped in the pit of their stomach, as if warning them of the day ahead of them. For a moment they thought of skipping training day, but they knew it would most likely make it worse. They expected people would know and talk about Lincoln's kidnap and rescue but they weren't expecting the shameless gossip. Apparently while Kova was gone, rumors spread around and the incident became a **major** scandal of their training unit.

 _"So it's true, it was them?"_

 _"They haven't admitted to anything and there's no official evidence, but it's pretty obvious isn't it? Those two would risk anything for each other."_

 _"How could they possibly clear them for duty?"_

 _"I'm still surprised about the mask description, it sounds too similar to those bandits. You think they're involved with those bastards?"_

 _"I mean, we all know Lincoln's reputation. But Kova? After Mount Caocin? I never would've expected it!"_

Even when Kova passed by the gossipers, the whispers didn't even quiet down. Before training started, the warrior went to sit with their other friends. However the reaction wasn't what they expected. The group of friends Kova always sat with merely glanced at them before leaving and moving to a different table. _'There's no way this is happening. Is everyone just going to avoid me?'_

Since Lincoln was excused from training due to the injuries he sustained from his imprisonment, Kova was alone during the rest of the free period. They hoped it would be better during training, but no one would partner up with them. Everyone they looked at either looked away or immediately found a partner. In the end Chief Indra was forced to set them up with a begrudging partner, but even the chief wouldn't look at them in the eyes.

At the end of training Kova was preparing to visit Lincoln's home but one Indra's organizers informed them that Indra requested them to her tent to have a talk. Faking a brave face, they entered the tent slowly. The chief sat with a map in front of her, invested in its contents. Kova had to clear their throat to get her attention. Keeping their head bowed and hands clasped in front of them, they nervously tapped their thumbs together rapidly. _"I was called?"_

 _"Yes,"_ Indra spoke with a steady voice, her eyes returning to the map. _"The situation going on between you and Lincoln's capture has been the talk to the town, as well as your potential inclusion with the bandits Emerald Boas. You are now a distraction to the other warriors, and I cannot have that. I must suspend you from training until the investigation is closed and you are found completely innocent. This also includes your mission at Fort Nauk."_

Kova almost caught whiplash by how fast they snapped their head up. _"What?!"_ The chief simply looked at them with a raised eyebrow. Realizing their mistake, they immediately bowed their head. _"I apologize, I was caught off guard."_ Eyes darted around the floor and swelled with tears, but Kova quickly blinked them back. They were just so confused, there were too many issues going on today that they didn't even know where to start. _"May I ask how long that will take?"_

 _"You will have to ask General Tristan, he is the one investigating and requested you take a leave of absence."_ Indra stopped and now had her back turned against them. _"Unless you have further questions, leave my presence at once and take all your belongings with you."_

They felt a tear roll down their cheek and splatter to the floor. After everything they had gone through for this clan, for this group...

 _"Yes, Chief."_

* * *

 **October 1, Year 2149**

 **Trikru Territory**

 **Just Outside of Tondc, Lincoln's Home**

* * *

Days after the escape, Lincoln was still exhausted from the ordeal but was slowly getting his strength back. His home was now clean of dirt and dust thanks to the help of his other friends. While he laid in bed, Kova sat beside him with a first aid kit.

" _From what I've been hearing,"_ They broke the silence of the house. " _Anya wants to declare war against the Betrayers."_

He stiffened at their words. " _Did she say why?"_

" _Torturing you was one reason, but apparently they were the ones who set off those fireworks and burnt Ansme to the ground."_ He looked confused. _"A few days ago, the village was burnt to the ground. No survivors."_ They finished taping down a loose bandage on his chest and set the first aid aside. " _Although it might have been unintentional, she considers it a sign of war. Lincoln?"_

 _"Hmm?"_

 _"Were you really part of the Boas?"_

His eyes darted away from theirs quickly, uncomfortably. They hadn't talked about the bandit group every since Kova found out, and he wasn't sure if he was ready to go down that path just yet. _"Yeah, for a while. Had to stop before the Azgeda war."_

 _"Good to know."_

He knew they weren't upset about it, more surprised if anything, so the two fell into silence. He rubbed his hand across his chin, deep in thought. He wasn't sure how they would react to this, but... " _Octavia and Wells, they wanted me to talk to Anya to set up a peace meeting."_

Kova couldn't help but laugh lightly through their nose. They poured the jug of berry tea into the two cups on the bedside table. " _You're one of the best peace strategist of this century, but you and I are being investigated. I'm not sure if it'll work out this time."_ Lincoln looked down at his hands, disheartened by their words. " _Sorry, I know you're tired of all the fighting."_ They passed him a cup, which he took silently. " _But all this love in your heart is going to get you killed one day._ " Tiredness taking over their body, Kova slouched in the chair and sipped their tea. " _Is this also about the girl you've been seeing?"_

There was a pause, but then he shook his head. " _Not just her, I want everyone to be safe. Even before they came down from the sky, our lives were in danger._ "

" _This world is killed or be killed._ "

" _Says who?"_

" _Says history, both before and after the Foresakening. You know this, you were the historian of the library after all."_ They knew their own words were true, but that didn't stop the tiredness of it all from sneaking up on them. Lincoln could see it in their eyes — Kova was exhausted too. But that was no surprise. A lot has changed since Mount Caocin. A pause of silence took over the house. " _Did you have a plan?"_

" _Lieutenant Anya and Clarke — she's their leader — would talk at the bridge that connects us without any weapons. They could make a compromise or maybe even a truce."_ He drank the rest of the tea, savoring the sweet flavor in his mouth before setting the cup on the nightstand.

" _No weapons? I highly doubt that. Both sides will bring them regardless."_ Kova swished the tea around in its cup, contemplating their next words. " _Do you want help?"_

By the look on his face, he wasn't expecting them to offer help. Yeah, they weren't expecting to offer their help either. " _Really?_ "

" _Truthfully,"_ Kova hesitated, rubbing a hand soothingly around their neck. " _I think you and I both know how tired I am of war. I'm keeping the mask on though, I'd rather not give the higher ups more evidence for their case."_

He laughed softly. " _It suits you well. Here's what I need you to do..."_

* * *

 **October 2, Year 2149**

 **Trikru Territory**

 **Arton Bridge**

* * *

Lincoln had asked Kova to wait for Clarke, Wells, and another boy named Finn at the bridge with Octavia, who was already there when Kova arrived. The two greeted each other by gripping each other's forearms, similar to their parting weeks ago but with more confidence in each other. They both sat on the bridge shoulder to shoulder with their legs hung over the side of the bridge and their arms resting on top of the middle railing. They were early to the meeting and talked about all different topics, mostly about the differences of their lives in different settings.

"So," Octavia dragged out the o, "what else do you do besides talking back to superiors?" She teased, referencing to what Kova had told her about Tristan's interrogation.

"Excuse me, I'm very respectful to the higher ups!" For a moment Kova pretended they were offended, but they broke out in laughter and lightly shoved her. "In Tondc, my generation is expected to learn how to fight so I'm in the middle of training as a warrior. Outside of that I used to work with energy engineering, but recently I've been creating prosthetics for amputees."

Her eyes widened in surprise. "Lincoln told me that technology was still mostly the same down here after the nuclear war, but I didn't know that things like that still work around here."

"I wouldn't say tech is the same as it used to be. Prosthetics were pretty stiff and uncomfortable, but now we can connect them to nerves which was something very complicated to do back then and they can move almost identical to the actual body part. I would say we've **improved** technology since the apocalypse." Kova couldn't help but laugh at Octavia's shocked and confused look. "I get really excited about this kind of topic. But anyways, what do you do?"

They continued to talk until they heard movement in the forest. They both stood up, Kova pulling the mask down just as three people came out of the forest. They mentally ran through the weapons checklist attached to them and relaxed when Octavia signaled that the strangers were okay. There was a woman, presumably their leader Clarke, and two men behind her.

"So that's how you set this up." Clarke said to the boys, her blue eyes flickering to Kova and Octavia. "You helped that grounder escape, didn't you?" Her voice seemed more accusatory rather than questioning. Octavia was about to respond when Kova stepped between her and Clarke. "You've got some nerve letting your tongue run loose in front of me. The 'grounder' you speak of is my brother. I was the one who rescued him."

"You? How?"

"Your entire group failed to realize they were being watched constantly. The jobi nuts and your fort — if you could call it that — didn't help your situation either. There were many weaknesses that I could have chosen from." To Octavia, the moment Kova slipped on the mask their personality did a complete 180 compared to the person she was talking with a few minutes ago. The way they spoke steadily with certainty and well picked words, the way their stature somehow became taller and practically towered over all of them really did create a challenging atmosphere.

Even Clarke seemed uncomfortable of the overall situation. "Oh, I..." She cleared her throat. "How about we start over?" The leader stuck her hand out. "I'm Clarke."

Kova's initial feelings of the group, especially after everything the sky people had done to them and their people, made them hesitant on taking Clarke's hand. Regardless, they knew if Leader Anya or Commander Lexa chose peace, it would be wise to be more friendly. They took her hand. The other two boys, Wells and Finn, introduced themselves in a similar fashion. "I'm Kova, one of the Trikru warriors. Or ex warrior, depending on how you see it."

Clarke tilted her head in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"Anya is the leader of my unit, but Chief Indra is the leader of my group. Lincoln was kind enough to set this meeting up between you and Anya. If you give her good reasons why Trikru shouldn't declare war, she'll pass the message to Commander Lexa and Chief Indra." They explained, pausing briefly when something shined into their eye. Before Clarke could speak, Wells noticed something moving in the foliage at the other side of the bridge. "Someone's coming." Just as Kova turned to see who it was, Octavia sprinted across to Lincoln, who jogged towards them from the woods.

While everyone was distracted, Kova coaxed Clarke to the side of the bridge for a private talk. They raised the mask and held it up with one hand while the other gestured down to the bank of the dried up river. Clarke's back up contrasted severely against the bushes they hid only slightly behind. Seeing the two together grabbed their attention. "The light reflected into my eyes from their guns. Please tell them to camouflage themselves, they're so out in the open it's physically hurting me how oblivious they are to the situation." They spoke in a low voice for only her to hear. They had a feeling that the two boys behind them may not know about it. "If Anya or her backup scouts see them, they'll shoot us all down without warning."

Slightly flustered, she signaled to the trio to lower themselves into the thickets. Once they were concealed properly, Clarke gave them a nod of gratitude before heading back to the others.

Kova looked over the side of the bridge once more to simultaneously send them a thumbs up and a wink. Dropping the mask back down, they walked back into position.

* * *

At the bank of the dried river, it was a struggle to set up the guns through the foliage but Raven, Jasper, and Bellamy managed to make it work. They were nervous about the sudden meeting and tried to not let it show, but their anxiety increased when they realized their people weren't the only ones on the bridge.

"What's Octavia doing here?" Jasper pulled the gun up to see the group on the bridge through the magnifier. "And who's the grounder next to her?" It seemed like the masked grounder and Clarke had some tension, but quickly resolved it with a handshake.

"Whoever they are, they seem alright." Bellamy said, peering through his weapon.

Their attention switched to the movement on the other side of the bridge. Octavia darted across the floor to the another grounder that came outside of the woods. He was the one that they captured a while back.

"What is she do— Oh." Jasper was interrupted by Octavia throwing herself into the grounder's arms and embraced each other tightly. He wasn't aware that the girl he liked fell for someone else, and his face fell in disappointment

"Well, I guess we know how he got away." Raven remarked with a smirk, unaware of Jasper's change in mood.

"What's the grounder doing with Clarke?" Bellamy questioned. The two walked towards their side of the bridge. The grounder's mask was raised in order to talk to their leader properly. They were surprised to see them point in their direction. None of them realized how far they leaned over the bushes and exposed themselves.

Their leader told them to lower themselves further into the bushes. Once she was satisfied, she nodded to the grounder next to her and headed back to Finn and Wells.

The grounder watched their leader walk away before turning to face them. It seemed like they knew that the trio could see them through the lens of their guns because they sent them a thumbs up and a wink, then turned to follow Clarke back.

"It seems like we have a new friend, huh?" Raven couldn't help but laugh lightly. Bellamy let out a scoff at the wink and looked away.

* * *

Back on the bridge, Kova walked up to Lincoln and clapped his shoulder. "Did everything work out okay?" He nodded briefly and walked alongside them and Octavia to their side of the bridge. "She's angry, but willing to—"

The two Trikru winced at the sound of heavy hoofbeats against the floor. Clarke on the other hand, had a more positive reaction. "Oh my god," her mouth dropped slightly in shock, "are those horses?" Three horses came into view with Anya and two of her men riding beside her. They had weapons but it seemed like the leader didn't.

"Hey, we said no weapons!" Finn walked in front of Clarke.

"We were told there wouldn't be." Lincoln murmured, glancing at Kova. _'Guess you were right.'_ He thought.

"It's too late now." Clarke started walking with Finn and Wells following behind, but Lincoln and Kova held their arms out. "She has to go alone."

The two leaders met in the middle of the bridge.


	6. out of breath

TW: Injury, passing out, nausea

Based off of 01x09

* * *

 **October 2, Year 2149**

 **Trikru Territory**

 **Arton Bridge**

* * *

Anya has had at least a decade of experience with war tactics and agreements. She wouldn't be so careless and underestimate their enemy. There were scouts camouflaged within the trees, just out of sight from the bridge's view. But from Jasper's angle, he could clearly see their movements and signals towards each other from the scope of his gun. "Oh no, this is bad." His eyes widened almost comically, darting back and forth.

"The hell are you talking about?" Bellamy asked while Raven kept watch on the bridge.

The scouts held up spears and bows aimed at the people on Jasper's side of the bridge. "They're in the trees, there are grounders in the trees!" He frantically stumbled over the bridge, earning the attention of the scouts. While Raven looked around for movement in the trees, Bellamy tried to haul him back. "I don't see anything Jasper. Stop!"

Because of Jasper's appearance, one scout pulled back an arrow aimed towards Clarke.

"They're about to shoot! CLARKE!" Jasper bellowed, aiming his gun at the forest. "RUN CLARKE! THERE'S GROUNDERS IN THE TREES!"

Lincoln and Kova's eyes widened, but only Lincoln looked over the bridge to where the trio was. "She brought back up?"

"Yup." Kova said while keeping her eyes on Anya. "I'm guessing they didn't know?" Scouts and warriors were typically at every meeting as a precaution in the event of an attack from the opposing party, but they forgot Clarke's backup didn't know how meetings typically worked on Earth. "But why is he giving away their location?" They finally turned to see what was going on. "Doesn't he know the scouts'll try to attack—?" Gunfire fell upon those in the trees, knocking the lookouts out of their high positions. Thuds of their bodies slamming into the ground filled the air.

Wells was the first to regain his senses and attempted to retrieve Clarke from the middle of the bridge, but Lincoln held out his arm to prevent him. "Don't go or they'll shoot you down too." He said just as someone sprinted pass them and across the bridge. To everyone's surprise, it was Kova running in a zig-zag formation to make it more difficult for the scouts to shoot them down. Nothing else was on their mind except getting the sky leader away from the Lieutenant, who would surely try to kill Clarke on the spot.

Startled by the sudden gunfire, Clarke jumped in surprise and swiveled her head over her shoulder to see who was shooting without her orders. _'Perfect.'_ Anya used the distraction to slip out a small dagger from a pocket within the wristband of her sleeve and stepped forward to attack. Clarke only managed to see a glimpse of silver for a brief second before she felt someone's hand on her shoulder, pulling her behind them. The sheer unexpected force of the knife clashing against Anya's dagger sent the Lieutenant's arm reeling back and she stumbled over the debris from the old bridge. Kova stood in Clarke's place, one hand holding the knife while the other kept a barrier between the two women.

A loud _bang!_ shook their eardrums as a bullet whizzed by them and buried into Anya's shoulder, sending her flying back even further away from them.

"Go, go!" Kova ordered to Clarke, grabbing her by the back of her arm. Both sides retreated back but just as Anya made it closer to her side of the bridge, Kova heard her shout " _Fire!_ "

As if in slow motion, they watched half a dozen arrows shoot up into the air. Like they practiced in training, they tried calculating where each would land. Clarke wasn't running fast enough to make it into the safe zone. ' _Oh, this is definitely going to bite me in the ass later.'_ Kova thought while jamming the knife back into its cover. As the arrows darted around the two, they jumped and tackled Clarke to the ground.

Counting the sounds of five arrows embedding into the ground, Kova vaguely wondered what happened to the sixth when a scorching pain shot up from the outside of their left calf. Looking down, they cursed out the leg and the shooter for not moving just a bit away from each other. The arrow had sliced the pant leg and barely nicked their skin, but the pain felt like a burning hell within the cut. The sudden intense nausea overwhelmed them to the point where they pressed their forehead to the cement below and grit their teeth, taking deep breaths while eyebrows scrunched together.

Although Kova personally had never felt this type of pain before, they recognized it from the training lessons. The venom of fire ants were often used to dip the heads of arrows in to create more damage in war. If potent enough and in the right place, it could kill a person.

Because of the injury time felt extremely fuzzy. The sounds of hoof beats against the ground meant Anya and her group were leaving. Kova's ears seemed clogged, like someone was covering their ears. They could barely hear the sound of Clarke asking if they were okay but for some reason they couldn't respond. Al their senses slowed down. The next thing they knew someone lifted them from Clarke and flung their body over the person's shoulder. In a haze, they tried to fight back and thought they were slamming tight fists into the person's spine to force them to let go and was surprised they were strong enough to withstand it. In reality Kova was actually lightly tapping their lower back with loose curled fingers.

The sudden adrenaline rush from the pain made their consciousness falter and being upside down definitely wasn't helping. Eventually the person stopped walking and Kova attempted to get off, but didn't have enough strength to. Raising their head slightly, a blurry Lincoln appeared, his warm hand on their shoulder.

"...and take them with you. Our warrior leaders might get suspicious again, but they'll be safer with you guys for now. Run and don't stop until you're behind your walls."

"Lincoln…" Kova murmured, the cloudiness of their vision intensifying. Waving in his general direction, the movement caused a headache to form and was beginning to be borderline unbearable. "Good luck fixing that mess."

"Thanks." They could hear the small smile in his voice as his hand left their shoulder. "Don't worry, I'll find you when it's safe."

They gave a weak nod before their body was finally giving up on retaining consciousness, but just before Kova passed out they gave their brother a thumbs up in acknowledgement.

The palm of Lincoln's hand rested on the back of their head once more before he ran off in the direction Anya took, leaving Wells to carry Kova. With one final glance behind her, Octavia helped Wells set them to the floor. They each carried an arm over their shoulder and stumbled down the path their people retreated to.

The group waited for them hunched in the foliage of the tall grass. Bellamy waved his hand frantically to tell them to hurry up, but paused when he saw who they had with them. An annoyed look passed over his face. "Why are they—"

"Bellamy please don't start this right now, we don't have time and they saved Clarke." Octavia said, exasperated. To his surprise, Clarke agreed with a nod of her head. "Let's take them back and talk about it later."

Bellamy reluctantly caved in. "Fine, but we don't have time for this. You two are too slow." He motioned for the two to let Kova go and put one hand behind their knees and the other behind their back. As soon as he picked them up bridal style, the others walked down the path towards camp.

* * *

 **October 2, Year 2149**

 **Trikru Territory**

 **Senaah Forest, Delinquent's Campsite**

* * *

By the time they all arrived, night had already fallen and the stars shone brightly above them. The group paused in the trees outside of camp to catch their breath and create their next moves. Before anyone could say anything, Bellamy felt light thumps against his chest from Kova tapping him. "You can put me down now, please."

"Are you okay?" Octavia questioned them, removing the mask from their face. When Bellamy released them, their balance wavered at the sudden drop and unintentionally leaned into his shoulder. To Octavia's surprise he allowed Kova to re-calibrate themselves.

"I think so. It was the venom of the fire ants, but I wasn't expecting it to be so strong." They felt lightheaded and woozy. "It was aimed towards Clarke's heart…she would have died if I didn't shove her." The sky people were shocked at their words, not expecting the answer they gave.

Finn, on the other hand, continued giving Bellamy dirty looks throughout the exchange. Agitated, he spoke up. "You got something to say, Finn?"

"Yeah actually, I do." Finn jutted his finger towards Bellamy, then turned to Clarke. "I told you not to bring guns!"

"And I told you we couldn't trust them, I was right!" Clarke defended herself.

"You didn't have to trust them, you just had to trust me."

A laugh caught them all off guard, switching their attention to Kova. "It would have been naive to not bring backup, you foolish boy." Their grin gradually changed into a serious and strict. "Take your fragile pride somewhere else, this has nothing to do with her trust in you. She was smart for bringing backup."

Silence fell upon the group. Out of everything they could have said, Finn was annoyed to hear them say that. He felt a hand grab his shoulder and he was face to face with Raven. "And why didn't you tell me what you were up to?!"

"I tried, but you were too busy making bullets for your guns!" He snapped.

"Kova's right, you're lucky she brought that. They came to kill you, Finn." Bellamy reprimanded.

"You don't know that, Jasper fired the first shot!"

"On one hand, they were completely ready to kill all of us on that side of the bridge." The grounder interrupted again, their words slowly slurring together. "But only if we threatened them or their leader first. It's only a precaution. We would have been fine if Jasper didn't shoot first."

"Raven," Octavia was the only one who noticed their words were merging together. She coaxed Kova into leaning against her instead of Bellamy. "Help me bring them to my tent?"

"Yeah, sure."

"Whoa, they're not sleeping in there with you. We should keep them in the dropship." Bellamy argued.

"Bellamy look at them, they're ready to knock out! This won't be another prisoner situation, they're staying with me until they recover."

Kova was now leaning against the woman heavily. "You don't have to worry about your sister." The smile on their lips faltered as the adrenaline wore off. "I can barely stand on my own, I'm not dangerous to anyone like this. Except to myself, probably." They added as an afterthought, a light laugh escaping their lips. Kova practically towered over Octavia, so Raven moved next to them to help take some of the load off of her. Bellamy stood between them and the camp to discuss further, but neither Octavia nor Clarke were having it. "They're Lincoln's sibling, I'm not leaving them alone."

"Bellamy, they saved my life twice." Clarke added on. "We should let them stay. It's not safe for them to go back to the grounders, either."

He glanced between the two woman and Kova. With a sigh and his fists on his hips, Bellamy reluctantly yielded, stepping to the side. Without another word, Octavia and Raven quickly ushered Kova into the camp.

 _ **Boom!**_

After the three stumbled past the gates, everyone was staring up into the sky. The Exodus ship was just ejected from the Ark and headed on its way down to Earth. Since the delinquents were all distracted, no one noticed the two women assist a grounder into Octavia's tent.

"God, they're heavy. Help me set them down here." Octavia motioned to the large bed. She and Raven gently laid them down and covered them with a blanket. Raven left to retrieve a first aid kit to help with the wound. Just before she left, Kova grabbed her hand.

"Thank you, I'm indebted to you both for helping me." They muttered, grasping both of their hands tightly. The last thing Kova saw before knocking out was their smiles.


	7. fish out of water

Between 01x09 and 01x10 to clear things up because they have a 2-3 day spacing in between these two episodesbr /

TW: Really fucked up dreams. Just for the first section.

* * *

 **October 3, Year 2149**

 **Trikru Territory**

 **Senaah Forest, Landing Site**

* * *

 _The birthing of a baby was something Kova never expected to watch when they were 14, but the unexpected couldn't wait for preparation. Young pre-teen Kova was given the task of handling the baby so the healers could get everything in order with the mother. Almost everyone in the village of TonDC came to congratulate the mother and praised Kova for handling the baby so well._ _The mother - although Kova couldn't make a out a face - named the baby Artigas._

 _Everything tinted red. Now they were 23, in the middle of a mountain path lush with trees and foliage, baby Artigas still in their arms. The hooded cape they wore during the Caocin battle shadowed their face and covered the bundle in their arms well enough. Other warriors ran besides them, but the way they ran was... unnatural. Sloppy foot work, similar capes hiding their faces and bodies. Curious, they followed their fellow warriors up to the edge of the path. The Azgeda army stood before the forest mountain holding their flag on a pole, a symbol of war, but none of them had any visible weapons. 'Why haven't hey followed us up here yet?' Kova thought, squeezing the bundle closer to their chest._

 _Strange clicking noises came from behind. Kova turned around only to face their fellow warriors, the wind blowing their capes to reveal the_ _forbidden ancient weapons._

 _Guns._

 _Shots rang out. Kova flinched and squeezed their eyes shut, bending over to protect Artigas in their arms, but now there's no baby. There's no pain either. The Trikru warriors Kova fought along with for years disappeared, and now there was only one person in front of them._ _The brother they loved so much fell to his knees in front of them - or what felt like them, anyways - and Lincoln collapsed into a puddle of rainwater and mud, the blood mixing with the elements. Kova's arm hung in front of them, jaggedly, inhumanly, similar to a puppet on strings, with the pointer finger pressed against the trigger of the gun in their hand._

* * *

 **October 4, Year 2149**

 **Trikru Territory**

 **Senaah Forest, Delinquent's Campsite**

* * *

"Everyone gather around!" Clarke summoned the camp to where she and Bellamy were standing. The two leaders broke the news of a new resident living among them since Raven and Octavia basically snuck them in. Bellamy was ready to explain the events leading up to the situation until Clarke spoke first. "With the help of Kova and their brother Lincoln, we attempted to make peace with one of their leaders." Her words started low rumbles of whispers throughout the group. She paused, unsure of what to say next. She needed to create a reason for Kova's stay without alarming them.

In the meantime, Bellamy spoke up. "Due to miscommunication, the meeting didn't work out as we had hoped. I know this is difficult and I understand why you're all angry. We have a lot to talk about, especially after last night."

"But since Kova helped us, the grounders consider them as a traitor." Clarke surprised herself with how flawlessly she came up with that excuse. "They were injured in the process and had no other place to go, so we brought them here." The murmuring in the crowd increased and some people grew agitated. "Think of it this way." Clarke raised her hands up. "They could help us find a better water source and food, they can teach us about the land!"

"How do we know this grounder won't try to kill us while we're asleep?" One shouted out, adding gas to the flaming panic within the group.

"Because they're injured, they can't do much at the moment. But if you all truly feel unsafe we can ask them to hand over any weapons they have and prove to us that they aren't a threat. We understand some of you don't like this." Bellamy spoke calmly in an attempt to assure them. The whispers died down slightly. "Think of it this way: We can also get information from them so we can survive and prepare for any retaliation by the grounders. We all know they'll come soon, we could get the upper hand in this. Are we good?"

The muttering stopped and most of the group were nodding their heads in agreement. The few who despised the idea walked away without another word to start working again. But no one objected.

"Great, now let's talk about the ship from last night."

* * *

 **October 4, Year 2149**

 **Trikru Territory**

 **Senaah Forest, Landing Site**

* * *

As the sun raised high in the sky, the tent wasn't thick enough to keep its brightness outside. Across Octavia's bed in her tent, Kova slept on a spare mattress laying on their stomach with arms underneath the pillow. They blinked away the gritty dry feeling that made their eyes water and face shrivel. _'God, this just feels like an awful hangover.'_ They thought as they kept their eyes closed. There was a hazy memory of Clarke visiting in the middle of the night to disinfect the wound on their left calf.

The recollection of the memory brought a dull ache back from the same area. Slowly turning to lay on the side, they peered under the thin blanket at the bandaged cut. No wonder they felt so dehydrated, the poison must have sucked all the moisture from their body. It took Kova a good second to realize they were staring at bare skin. Someone had taken off their boots, socks, the leather armor, the heavy pair of pants and jacket.

 _I'm exhausted just thinking about doing all that.'_ Thankfully whoever took off their clothes didn't take off their underclothes — a pair of biker shorts and a discolored tank top. Turning around, they found the missing clothes folded neatly on the side of the mattress with their socks stuffed into the shoes to the side and a mask sitting on top of the folded clothes. _"Surprise surprise,"_ Kova grumbled to themselves, sitting up on their elbow. _"They took away my weapons."_

Tossing the blanket completely off, Kova hooked a foot against the mattress and struggled to sit up. They grimaced at the sharp pain returning from the leg and swung the healthy leg over the bed, then carefully guided the other one to follow. Taking a deep breath, they prepared to stand without knowing what kind of pain they would earn from it.

"Kova?" The tent shifted as someone poked their head in. "You alright?" The grounder had known the person for less than a day but could already recognize that voice. "You can come in, Clarke."

The leader stepped inside. When she finished disinfecting Kova's wound the night the group brought them to the camp, Octavia and Raven decided to undress the warrior so they would be more comfortable while resting. Clarke however wasn't expecting the amount of muscle being exposed nor the ink on their body. She had heard of tattoos before, but the tradition was lost on the Ark. An intricate armband tattoo circled around just above the elbow, but above the band the ink became trees of a forest with a thin line of blank skin bordering between the two tattoos. The mountains and valleys ascended from the trees up their biceps, the sun just peeking between the top of the mountains. At the very top of the shoulder there was a small crescent moon.

Kova twisted around slightly, shifting the shirt and revealing circular welts that covered the entire left shoulder blade. At the base of their neck, they had another tattoo, the exact same one that Lincoln had on his chest. Clarke snapped out of her stare at their questioning look. "Sorry, got lost in my thoughts." She felt her ears heat up. "We brought you here two nights ago, you knocked out the whole day yesterday. You were sweating a lot, so we thought you were trying to get the venom out of your body. I brought you fresh clothes and I also need to check up on the cut." She said, raising a medical kit up with one hand and the clothes with another.

"I feel like I slept for a whole day." Kova's voice croaked out softly, a smile cracking their dry lips. Clarke placed the clothes on the bed and knelt in front of them. While she opened the med kit Kova took the time to examine her face. She looked tired with frazzled hair and eyebrows that seemed permanently strung together. "Judging by the look on your face, you told everyone about me?"

The heavy sigh Clarke released also made her shoulder slump. "Yes. Some weren't happy, but I doubt there'll be any problems. We had to lie a bit and told them that because you helped us, your people marked you as a traitor and you couldn't return home." A bitter laugh filled the tent. Confused, Clarke looked back up at the warrior. "Don't worry, at this point you might even be right about that." Unaware of the blue eyes fixed on them, they leaned back against their arms, their distant gaze bore into the fabric of the tent.

Deciding to change subjects, Clarke drew the old bandage off of the skin and inspected the wound. "It doesn't seem infected, but is there anything I should be looking for?"

With a shake of Kova's head, the leader began to smooth out a fresh bandage. Packing away the tools back into the kit, she stood up to leave and turned around to give Kova privacy to change. The clothes were light compared to the usual attire they wore. Fingers nipped at the strange tight fabric of the pants and jacket but they didn't comment on it. "Can I ask you something?"

"Hmm?"

"If you knew your people might outcast you, so why did you save me?"

A breathy laugh passed through their mouth. "It was a no-brainer. If you had died on that bridge, there was no way we could even try to salvage peace between our people." The answer easily rolled off their tongue, yet they hesitated on explaining the other reason. "Some of my people are angry at yours because you burnt one of our villages down." Clarke opened her mouth to speak but Kova continued regardless. "Whether it was intentional or not those casualties are real, Clarke. Despite this, a few of us would rather create peace so something like that won't happen again instead of creating a war and killing more people. We're tired." They glanced at the mask on top of their old clothes.

Silence took over the small tent. "Thank you." Clarke lightly touched Kova's shoulder before heading to the exit of the tent. Just as she was about to flap open the tent, Wells drew it open. They made eye contact but before he could say anything, she smiled ever so slightly and walked passed him. Ever since the incident with Charlotte, their relationship had gotten a lot better — Clarke apologized for how she treated him and blaming him for her father's death, and he forgave her immediately. But they still hadn't talked much. His eyes followed her until she left his sight.

Wells paused just outside the entrance. He peeked inside the tent and was greeted by Kova's hunched over back. "You alright?"

"Yeah, I was just thinking." They responded. With elbows on top of knees, they pressed the palm of their hand into their forehead. "You can come in if you'd like." Kova motioned with a wave of a hand. Stepping in, he placed a cup in the middle of their open palm. "Here's some water. I figured you might get thirsty."

Kova skeptically glanced between him and the metal cup in their hands. They didn't know if anyone might have tampered with the drink in order to kill them but definitely wasn't going to take the risk. Bringing the cup up to their mouth, they sniffed around it for a moment before taking a small sip. It tasted simply like water and had no type of fragrance so Kova started to drink. While chugging the drink down, they caught a glimpse of Wells' bandaged right hand. The pointer and middle fingers were cut just below the second knuckle.

After downing the rest of the water they placed the cup on the ground. "Thank you. Can I ask what happened?" Motioning to the hand in question, they noticed his face darkened slightly and he moved the hand out of sight. "Sorry, you don't have to tell me. I was just curious."

"It's alright, I've…" Wells motioned to the bed, asking if he could sit. They quickly shuffled to the side and made room for him to settle. "I've come to terms with it. How much do you know about our home in space, the Ark?"

"Octavia told me a bit about it while we waited on the bridge."

"To put it simply, the rules there were very strict."

"Death for any crime, no?"

Wells nodded. "Any crime, no matter how small, was punishable by death if you were over eighteen. If you were under eighteen, you get put in the dropbox until you reach the age and then they'll look over your case again to see if you would be floated or not. My father is the Chancellor who enforced these rules." The boy rubbed the back of his neck. "Most people here don't like me because of that. Then there was this little girl named Charlotte, who watched her parents get floated. She uh…" Wells' hand went up to his bandaged neck and his voice wavered. What happened was still traumatizing, he was lucky to be alive. "She tried to kill me by stabbing me in the neck but she only nicked me. I tried stopping her from hurting me more but she swung the knife around and it cut my fingers off."

The two grimaced for different reasons. "I passed out, and she left me there because she thought she killed me. According to Clarke and the others I was unconscious for a few days from the blood loss and an infection, but they couldn't tell my father because they had already lost contact with the Ark. The problem is before all of this happened, this kid named Murphy threatened me because of who my father is. Charlotte used Murphy's knife and when the camp found the knife they accused him and tried to punish him in the same way."

"By killing him?"

He nodded again. "I couldn't do anything since I was still unconscious. They hung Murphy but I guess the guilt got to her because she confessed during the hanging. He practically hunted her down and she ended up killing herself by jumping off a cliff. Murphy was banished afterwards, no one knows where he went."

Wells and Kova stared into the wall of the tent with faraway expressions. As a warrior, Kova knew what it was like to be on the brink of death. Eyebrows furrowing together, their hand subconsciously went to their stomach. Wells must be traumatized from the incident. "I'm sorry that happened to you. You've only been here for a few weeks and yet so much has already happened." The two fell into silence for a moment. "Does it feel weird, like the fingers are still there but they're not?"

They were surprised Wells didn't get whiplash from how fast he turned. "How did you know?"

"Many of my patients have described it like that." At his confused look they continued to explain. "I was a prosthetist — I usually just attach the prosthetics though. If you'd like whenever there's time I can find some spare fingers and fit them for you. Although I have to admit it's painful at first because I would have to attach your nerves—"

"Why would you do that?"

Kova paused for a second, thinking of the most coherent and truthful answer possible. "One was because Octavia told me you were one of the few who didn't want to torture my brother when you all captured him. I'm grateful for that." They sent a small smile his way, which he returned. "The other reason is because when you all first came down, we knew you were the descendants of the traitors who left our great grandparents down here at the start of the nuclear war. My people thought you were here to invade our territory, but you all seemed so confused and we weren't expecting a bunch of kids. At first we wanted to make peace, which is why my brother agreed to help, but then torturing Lincoln and the village burning—"

"What? What are you talking about?"

"Those flares you sent out to inform your people in space. When they fell, they destroyed a whole village and we thought you all were attacking them. Unless Clarke said anything to Anya, they most likely still think that." Kova reached over to the mask, holding it in their hands. "There are many people who don't want to fight anymore, especially my generation. Unlike what most of our elders tell us, kindness in this world is not weakness."

* * *

The kids of the camp were bustling around, making adjustments to the wall and setting up secret foxholes that led to the forest. After the morning meeting there was a lot of chattering about the Exodus ship that exploded. Many were still mourning and were allowed to remain in their tents for the day. In the back of the delinquents' mind, the nagging feeling of having a grounder living among them was nerve wracking and had many of them on edge.

It wasn't just them — Kova paced just in front of the exit of the tent they were in, tapping their thumb rapidly against their lip. Being cooped up in the tent was mentally exhausting but the idea of stepping out surrounded by potential enemies was a lot worse. Eventually they stopped in front of the tent. ' _If I can go against General Tristan's orders and fight against Lieutenant Anya, I can deal with these children.'_ Taking a deep breath their hand pushed through the curtain and eased it open. The moment Kova's foot stepped outside all noises from the camp immediately stopped. Some delinquents glanced at them before continuing their work while others full on stared at them.

Never had Kova felt so naked in the open. Mentally snapping out of it, the grounder's first priority was to find a familiar face around here. The movement of smoke at the corner of their eye had their head whip around. For a moment Kova thought it was from the Trikru leaders, but the smoke was too large and heavy for it to be a message.

"Kova!"

The corner of their lips turned up slightly. "Octavia, it's good to see you again." They turned and greeted the girl by gripping each other's forearms. Kova pointed behind them with their thumb, gesturing to the smoke. "What's going on?"

"There was a ship from the Ark on its way down but it crashed. We have no idea why but I think Raven and Monty are looking into it."

"I heard my name?"

The two turned to the side and faced a familiar looking girl with brown hair tied up into a ponytail. "I recognize you. You helped me get here?"

"Yeah, I helped Octavia carry you in here. I'm Raven." She stuck out her hand and was surprised at Kova's grip on her forearm. "Wells mentioned you've got experience in engineering, looks like I might have competition."

"I studied electrical engineering briefly before switching to prosthetic engineering. It's good to meet another engineer, maybe we could compare notes sometime? It'd be interesting." Kova's smile grew as Raven returned the gesture and returned their hand back by their side. "I just found out the spaceship crashed, shouldn't you guys head over there?"

"We don't know what kind of fuel they used so we have to wait for the fires to die out before we can go." Raven responded, glancing at the smoke. "Anyways, Clarke wanted to see you in the dropship." The sight of Kova's jaw tightening made her laugh. "Yeah, I get that. She wanted to talk about the meeting at the bridge and next steps. Don't keep the princess waiting for too long though."

Nodding, they headed over to the dropship. Truthfully Kova's feelings towards Clarke were _really_ complicated for them. They didn't entirely despise the sky leader, but definitely had some negative feelings towards her. Regardless Kova entered the station and made their way to Clarke, who stood along with a boy. Kova's eyes widened — they recognized him as Bellamy, Octavia's brother and more importantly: the main torturer during Lincoln's kidnapping. They returned to their most neutral face possible almost immediately and turned to Clarke. "Raven found me, what do you want?" They ignored the scoff from Bellamy, who turned and walked away for a bit. It seemed like he was in the middle of arguing with Clarke before they came in.

"I just wanted to go over what happened at the meeting before the grounders attacked." Before Clarke could say anything further, Kova intervened. "My people attacked? Your backup shot first!"

"According to Jasper they were ready to shoot Clarke down." Bellamy argued, crossing his arms.

"Of course they were ready. Were you all not ready to shoot leader Anya — or my brother and I for that matter?" They accused. Usually Kova would have a calm head, but not when Clarke was deliberately changing the story for her own favor. They both stood there in shock while Kova took a deep breath to calm down and leaned against the table with their arms. One hand pinched the bridge between their eyes and the other made a gesture for the sky people to continue.

"Anya mentioned the village burning. I tried to explain that we set off fireworks to tell our people that the Earth was safe because… Well, that one needs a bit of backstory." Clarke glanced at Bellamy, who looked away. "People on the Ark were running out of oxygen. 300 people volunteered to sacrifice themselves so the others can have more time. We had a radio to contact them so they didn't have to lower the population, but it uh… it didn't work." She sent another look to Bellamy.

"Why do you keep looking at him for?" Kova questioned suspiciously without sparing a glance to the man. They noticed how the two leaders both stiffened. "Did you mess up the radio?"

Bellamy didn't respond, he only looked to the side with guilt in his eyes.

Kova's lips pressed into a hard line for a second before they turned to Clarke. "Continue."

"Anya said that if it was just the village that was burned down then it would have been bordering unforgivable."

The grounder scoffed and shook their head at that. "Of course she would say something like that. What tipped you all over then?"

"She said they were angry because we committed one of the major acts of war — burning a library down?"

Kova snapped their head towards Clarke. They blinked a few times before opening their mouth. "You did WHAT?!" Their wide eyes darted back and forth between the two. "When?!"

"It burned with the village, why?"

"Was the library that important?"

"Every library we have was specially built by the first two generations after the Foresakening, which is what we named the nuclear war." Kova added on after seeing their confused look. "Those libraries are filled with security to make sure we never lose the knowledge from before the war. Especially after Rha — the previous commander who almost destroyed us all. He wanted to get rid of the libraries to 'move on from our past' but before he could, he was rightfully assassinated."

"What does this mean for us, then?" Bellamy asked.

"It means I highly doubt you'll get the peace treaty you wanted. Burning a library down is the worst act of war you could possibly commit."

"Clarke!" One of the delinquents called from outside the dropship. "Myles keeps vomiting, can you come see him?"

"Yes, I'll be out there in a minute!" She called back. Just before she left, Clarke placed a hand on Bellamy and Kova's shoulders. "Stay, I'll be back."

They both gave her a nod. "Our current commander, Lexa, her campaign was almost solely based on restoring the libraries. If she knows, I don't think she would be willing to let you all go unpunished."

"We have guns, I'd like to see her try." Bellamy spoke, leaning against the table nonchalantly.

"Do you think this is a joke?" They said coldly, sending a sharp glare his way. "Are you willing to kill more people than you already have?"

"Hey." His voice dropped lower as a warning. He stepped closer to the grounder, although hesitated when they didn't move back. "Be careful with what you say."

"Is that suppose to be intimidating?" Kova spoke, taking up the final space in between them. The two were just barely the same height, Kova slightly taller. "At the bridge you and your two friends had the same job as those scouts did, yet you villainize my people. They aren't the ones who killed over 300 people." Kova said, sticking their finger into his chest.

Catching them off guard, Bellamy grabbed the wrist of the hand that poked him and walked them back into the table. Kova was tempted to retaliate when they felt the hand around their wrist, but the look in his eye made them hesitate. Dark hooded eyes, bags underneath, lines stretched across the sides. He looked _exhausted_. They had never seen that look on someone's face before. "I already know what I've done. I have to live with it now, and I don't need you to remind me, " His voice was strong but to Kova it seemed like Bellamy was on the edge of falling apart. They weren't expecting that look on his face — he actually felt _shame_ and _remorse_ over what he had done.

"You…actually feel guilt? About what you did?" Kova asked, their eyebrows furrowing slightly. They felt his hand subtly relax around their wrist. He was about to answer when the curtains of the dropship rustled. Bellamy stepped back and sniffed, rubbing his nose with the back of his hand.

Kova didn't realize how close they were to each other and was frozen in the position he left them in until Clarke appeared from the curtains. The area where he grabbed their wrist felt hot. "Everything okay? I was worried you two would bite each others heads off." She joked before returning to her place next to the table. While she continued to talk about the meeting, Kova was still taking in what just happened between them and Bellamy. They absentmindedly rubbed their wrist a few times before snapping out of their stupor and joining the conversation. Kova failed to realize Bellamy kept glancing at them.


	8. I'm all alone, I need someone

**October 5, Year 2149**  
 **Trikru Territory  
Senaah Forest, Delinquent's Campsite**

* * *

A scout in Trikru needed a tranquil sense of mind, a scout needed patience, but most importantly: a scout needed to be still for hours at a time. Some warriors are made for this type of challenging position.

Kova was not one of them.

Whether it was waiting inside for information for their squad to finish a mission or outside in the forest crouched in the foliage ready to pounce, Kova did **not** nor will they **ever** have the patience to wait. They could never stay still for long enough, their highest record so far was about fifteen minutes. Complete. _Torture._

There were different stages of their thinning patience. It would start off with the tapping of the front of their feet, but then the tapping would spread to the front and the hell of their feet. Then their whole leg would start to bounce or if they were standing, they would shift their weight by alternating their legs every few minutes. The tapping of their fingernails against whatever surface closest to them, then they would start to pick at their face or at the skin around their nails.

Staying in the tent practically killed off any cuticles they might have had left, but it was better than the alternative. Any time they opened the curtain of the tent, any noise of construction from the sky people working would just cut off. Every sky person would just look at them, forcing Kova to stay in the tent that they shared with Octavia for most of the day. And almost no one came by the tent because 1) foreign grounder with warrior expertise and 2) Bellamy would immediately set whoever came by on fire for even thinking about walking by here.

While sitting on the bed, legs bouncing, head in their hands, Kova didn't realize the tent wasn't thin enough to mute a nearby conversation.

"I know Bellamy and Clarke are taking a group with them to look for survivors. You're not going with them?"

"No way. I didn't have any family on that ship so why should I?"

They brought their head up from their hands. _'Oh? If Bellamy and Clarke are leaving, maybe I can visit Lincoln?'_ Neither of the sky leaders liked the idea of Kova leaving the camp, let along to visit their brother. They looked over their shoulder. Since it was almost night time less people were outside. They debated on how to leave the camp and whether or not the guards would try to stop them. They absolutely had guns and maybe even had orders to prevent them from leaving. _'Maybe I can find a different weak spot. God, a chance for an escape so soon? I should probably let Octavia know, at least. Maybe she can cover for me."_

Taking a deep breath, Kova whipped the tent's flap to the side and stepped out, still limping slightly because of their wound. They avoided eye contact with the sky people and looked straight ahead walking towards the main campfire. _'Fuck.'_ They thought as they accidentally made eye contact with a boy who leaned against the wall of the camp with a girl. The moment they made eye contact, he gestured for the girl to turn. To Kova's surprise the boy was talking to Octavia, who waved for Kova to come over.

Their lips upturning slightly the warrior walked past the campfire and was close to greeting the two on the wall.

"I saw the grounders in the trees and it was nothing I ever felt before."

Kova stopped dead in their tracks and turned their head slightly to the person talking.

There were many thoughts that ran through their head, but two main ones were clear. 1) They heard the word 'grounder' before, but never in a way that sounded offensive. If the word wasn't enough, the sentence itself made Kova shiver in disgust. 2) when Kova thought about it they realized they never truly find out who shot down the Trikru scouts at the bridge. _'There's no way this is happening.'_

One look at Octavia and Monty told them everything. Their faces were similar, eyes wide and mouth opened, horribly aghast that someone had the nerve to say that in front of Kova. _'Would they have been as offended if I wasn't here?'_ The small pacifist inside wanted to avoid conflict and pretend this never happened. The ruthless side wanted to call the person out for their cruel words and hypocrisy. Thankfully the latter side must have shown through their eyes, because the moment Kova made eye contact with Octavia, she began to rush over while Kova turned around to face the person.

The boy they now knew as Jasper stood around the campfire with his friends, oblivious to the Trikru member listening in. At first look he seemed like a fragile child, but while reciting the story of the bridge meeting, the ego strokes from his friends gave him the confidence to stand taller. "It was like pure animal instinct took over, you know? One pull of the trigger, two grounders dead." He spoke while looking at each person around the campfire until his eyes landed on Kova. The boy practically shriveled up, his eyes bulging comically.

"You're the biggest coward I've ever seen." The words slipped off the tongue easily, like any filter Kova may have had had suddenly vanished. Their voice attracted the attention of every sky person within earshot.

"What?" He asked meekly, his eyes darting around.

"You heard me." They continued, their stare unwavering. The people around the fire glanced awkwardly between the two. "You killed those warriors out of cowardice and fear."

"You don't know what you're talking about, watch what you say." One of his friends sneered, her hand on the handle of the gun.

"Harper, don't."

"I don't know what I'm talking about? I was there! Those are my people!" The smirk on their face was full of bitterness. "You all villainize my people as if you didn't steal our land and kill hundreds of people. And you," they pointed a finger at Jasper, who visibly jumped. "You ruined any chance for peace between our people, yet you're being praised for unjustified murder!"

A hand clap their shoulder and their instinct was to rip that shit out of its socket, but then they heard his familiar voice. Wells stepped in front of Kova with his hands raised to tone down the situation. "Let's all calm down. You shouldn't be throwing that gun around so carelessly." He said gently, slowly pushing the barrel of Harper's gun to the side. In their anger, Kova didn't realize the gun was aimed toward their stomach.

"Come on Kova, let's go." Octavia spoke softly to not grab anyone's attention and placed a hand on their back, guiding them away from the group. Everyone else by the campfire stood there in shock while the warrior sent them a glare over both Octavia and Wells' shoulders. Kova sent a nod of gratitude to wells for intervening before following Octavia.

"She was going to shoot me?" Their laugh was bitter and breathless. "I can't stay here anymore Octavia."

The girl opened her mouth to object until something through the cracks in the wall caught her eye. Kova followed her line of eyesight and recognized Lincoln's signal for a meeting — a familiar flowering gladiolus sat next to a white lily. "I'm guessing the lily is your signal?"

"Yeah." The sky girl smiled slightly, a hint of red coming to her cheeks. "How come yours is that one—" The embarrassment only lasted for a second until a sound came from the forest, attracting the attention of the guards. "Something hit the trip wire!" Connor called out, looking through the scope of his gun.

"Which wire, was it a grounder? I don't see anything. Connor?" Derek asked, switching between the scope and his bare eye.

"Nothing. Wait, something moved. There, there, there!"

The two guards shot off multiple rounds into the forest.

"I think I got him."

"Let's go check it out."

Horrified, Octavia could only watch the two boys run towards the gate. "Lincoln." She murmured, getting ready to run off. She was held back by Kova's grip on her arm. "Octavia, that definitely wasn't Lincoln. Your traps are too simple for someone like him to get caught. We have to go meet him at his place."

"I have to know who — or what — it was." She uncurled Kova's hand on her wrist. "You head out to the meeting place, if there's nothing I'll try and follow." Octavia said before darting off in Connor and Derek's direction. An annoyed sigh passed through Kova's lips, but the distraction was too good of an opportunity for them to waste. They had to leave now, before the Exodus group came back. They climbed over the wall and headed towards the meeting site.

* * *

 **October 5, Year 2149** **  
Trikru Territory  
Just Outside of Tondc, Lincoln's Home**

* * *

It wasn't hard to find the trail of gladiolus and white lilies hidden in the forest under the moonlight. While following the trail, Kova didn't move along carelessly. They constantly checked behind their back and up around the trees for any signs of a follower, all the way to the end of the trail. A familiar home stood in front of them. Knocking a certain pattern against the door of Lincoln's home, they opened the door cautiously and slowly headed down the stairs. "Lincoln, it's me." Kova called out, raising their tight fists.

The man was organizing his makeshift desk. Pursing their lips slightly, they covered their weapon. "I'm glad you're okay," He met them at the foot of the stairs and glanced at their leg. "How are you feeling?"

"I've seen better days, but it's not that bad. I opened the wound up again but I'll fix it later." They responded, walking past him into his home. They noticed his house was a lot messier than usual. "Where have you been?"

"Dealing with Lieutenant Anya. It's been...dirty." Lincoln offered them a cup of tea. "Where's Octavia?"

"Stayed behind." Kova took the cup from him. "She was worried that you had gotten stuck in some trap they set up to keep intruders out. I told her it wasn't you but she said she would just meet us here later." The worried look on his face made Kova narrow their eyes. "Why, what's going on?"

His lips straightened into a line. "Like I said, the past few days have been complicated. A while back they captured a banished sky person — I believe his name was Murphy. This morning I heard he was injected with the warfare virus and released to weaken their camp. Octavia might get infected, which is why I asked her to come here."

"They want to start a war." They murmured softly. It shouldn't have been a surprise, but to Kova they knew that these kids _really just didn't know any better_ and landed in the wrong place at the wrong time. Lincoln nodded his head. "I've been hearing that at dawn in two days, Trikru will try and attack." He hesitated but continued. "I wish I could tell you there's better news, Kova. They haven't been able to set up a trial or anything yet, but since you haven't been seen around the scouts' camp or in the villages, Anya and the higher ups believe you're a member of Emerald Boas that rescued me and threatened Anya on the bridge. They've officially declared you as a wanted bandit."

He noticed Kova's hand tightened to a fist. Their hand relaxed after a moment. "Guess Clarke was right." They muttered, staring at the floor in shock and rubbing the bottom of their nose with the back of their hand. Shaking their head, Kova looked back up at him. They felt the prickle behind their eyes and the bridge of their nose. "Lincoln, what should I do? Where do I go? I've spent my whole life with them, I…" They looked up, avoiding the tears that threatened to fall. Everything for Kova changed so rapidly in the past week that they could barely had a chance to breathe. The same people they trusted for all their life suddenly turned their backs against them.

The man spoke so quietly that Kova almost missed what he said. "I think you should stay with the sky people."

They snapped their head at him. "What?"

"Staying here is too risky, the scouts might try to barge in here at any moment." Lincoln stepped closer to them, smaller knives in his hands, keeping eye contact the entire time. "The sky people are your best bet for now. I've already sent a message to Luna asking if she can provide refuge for the three of us. As soon as she responds, we can make a plan." He gave them their weapons.

"The three of us?" They asked, glancing between him and the weapons.

"I want Octavia to come too."

Kova wanted to tell him they weren't too sure Octavia would leave her friends and brother as quickly as that, but kept their mouth shut. "I have no other choice, I suppose." They grabbed his hands tightly, maintaining eye contact. To Lincoln's surprise, he could see a bit of fear in them. "Find me as soon as everything is ready."

"I'll try to be as fast as possible. If anything changes, just rendezvous to Floukru and wait there for me." Lincoln said, gripping their hands with the same amount of force. "We're in this together."


	9. you've gotta see blood

TW: Bodily fluids - blood, vomit, mentions of bone breakage

TW: Death (canon, minor character)

Based on 01x10

Title: Day6 - Blood

* * *

 **October 6, Year 2149** **  
Trikru Territory  
Senaah Forest, Delinquent's Campsite**

* * *

It didn't take long for Kova to return to camp after the meeting with Lincoln. By the time they arrived, night had fully settled and the only source of light was from the sky people's camp. They paused right outside the walls of the camp, just as the trees began to thin out slightly. _'How am I going to get back inside?'_ They briefly thought of any weak points in the wall to sneak back in through. The way they went to rescue Lincoln popped into mind, but Kova immediately set the idea aside. _'The sky people most likely fixed that area by now. Right?'_

Peeking out from the foliage they hid behind, Kova saw one guard on duty who had their head down. Looking around, they didn't see another guard on the wall. _'Perfect, I can sneak by their blind point.'_ They thought as they sneaked closer. But the sound of clothes shifting made Kova freeze in place. Risking a peek, the warrior could see the guard's face, just barely covered by the shadows. _'Are… are they sleeping?!'_

Eyebrows scrunched together, a look of disbelief passed over their face but they quickly shook it off before climbing the wall. Just as they reached over the border they caught a glimpse of the guard once more. The warrior briefly wondered on the sky people's competence before hopping over the wall and landing on their feet quietly. The area where they landed was quiet and bare of any people. It seemed like everyone was already sleeping in their tents.

Kova couldn't help but scoff. _'Did anyone notice I was gone? What if I betrayed them and ran off to Trikru? These kids really have no idea what they're doing.'_

Quietly opening the tent they shared with Octavia, Kova found her sleeping on her bed. They couldn't help but quietly snort at the drool slipping from the corner of the woman's mouth. _'I guess she's not meeting up with Lincoln tonight, then.'_ They thought as while unclothing themselves and folded the pieces, placing the heavy clothing and armor next to the bed.

Kova turned back to the bed and jerked back, almost tripping over themselves in the process. There was a lump on their bed, but it didn't seem normal. They shot a quick glance to Octavia to see if she woke up. Turning back, they pulled the blanket back slowly. _'Oh, thank the gods.'_ A sigh of relief passed their lips. _'Just pillows.'_ The pillows were lined up in the middle of the bed to create the appearance of someone sleeping. Moving most of the pillows to the side, they slipped into bed.

Just as Kova's head made contact with the pillow, it was harder than usual, like something was under it. Sitting up they swiped underneath the pillow and pulled out a first aid kit. They briefly glanced at Octavia before changing the bandage on their leg. Worn out from the day, they fell asleep almost immediately after.

Their body was still recovering from the poison and the injury itself, but the hostile environment Kova was living in was keeping them on edge. At this point, problem after problem were just piling on top of their regular stress levels. Because of this they rarely slept well, usually suffering from dreamless slumbers and groggy awakenings no matter how long they were asleep for. They could feel the bags under their eyes deepening further with every night and their brain slowly slushing around while they were awake.

Today, for some reason, was an exception. Instead of waking up in the foggy haze they had been under for the last few days, _this_ morning Kova actually felt...well rested for once. They woke up on their stomach, arms underneath the pillow, and drool dropping from the corner of their mouth. They sniffed as they felt the hair on the back of their neck prick up, eyebrows scrunching together.

 _'_ _Someone's in the tent.'_ They heard the ripple pass through the fabric of the tent and the sounds of someone's footsteps entering the tent. The person _could_ be Octavia, but the footsteps were heavier and uneven, as if the person hadn't been in the tent before. The encounter between Kova, Harper, and Jasper came into mind. There were probably many in camp who would have...darker intentions and come into Kova's tent.

Well they definitely weren't the first. They won't be the last, either. Acting like they were moving in their sleep and strategically placing their hand by the pile of clothes, Kova took note that the footsteps stopped, then resumed when they stopped moving. When Kova felt like the stranger was close enough, the warrior whipped out their hand and seized the knife from their clothes before swinging their arm back to roughly knee height, ready to cut a tendon in the closest leg. Luckily for the intruder, Kova saw his face and stopped just before the knife touched his leg.

* * *

The fear of grounders and the unknown was surprisingly giving Bellamy an advantage. Ever since the meeting at the bridge, the delinquents have been practically trembling in fear, the anxiety of murderous grounders breathing down their necks had become a beneficial tactic to have the 100 do what Bellamy wanted them to do. Work production went up, but the quality stumbled down. Since he was the only adult part of the 100, the delinquents followed his orders and were especially serious about the wall. Because he allowed a grounder in their camp brought his reputation down and it was harder to keep control of the camp.

The one night he was out with the Exodus scavenger group, there was a conflict between Harper and that _grounder_ , Kova. The moment he was informed of the incident, Bellamy wanted to start another confrontation but Clarke, Octavia, and even Monty were heavily against the idea. Murphy's return was also another headache to deal with. Seeing him brought back memories Bellamy would rather forget.

Fate must have cursed Bellamy out since Murphy also _apparently_ brought a disease with him. _"Bellamy?"_ Fucking fantastic. _"Bellamy?"_ Derek practically coughed up a lung before he died in the dropship, and Bellamy couldn't help but just stare at the body while Clarke poured alcohol in his hands. "Bellamy!"

He shook his head, throwing off the weird hazy state he was in. "Hmm? Ah, right. What do you think we should do?"

"Quarantine. It's the only way." Clarke turned to Finn and dumped the rest of the alcohol on his hands. "Round up everyone who had contact with Murphy and bring them here."

Bellamy watched the boy run off before looking back at Clarke. "What about everyone they had contact with?"

"Well, we have to start somewhere." She responded, facing Connor on the floor. "Connor, who was with you when you found him? Who carried him in?"

The boy took a deep breath, still unnerved that he could die at any moment because of this disease, but he finally managed to get his words out. "First one there was Octavia."

Clarke's voice barely registered in Bellamy's mind as he sprinted out of the dropship to find his little sister.

* * *

A look of surprise and irritation formed on Bellamy's face when he saw how close the knife was to the back of his leg. The tip of the knife was only centimeters away and his reflexes were too slow. He stepped away from the bed quickly. All he wanted was to find his sister for fucks sake, not get shanked in the leg by some grounder. "What do you think you're doing?"

Kova rolled their eyes and fell back onto the bed, face planting into the pillow. They ignored the stare that dug into the back of their head with ease. "What made you think sneaking up on me would be a good idea?" Kova's question was muffled by the pillow.

"Wasn't trying to." He responded. _'Shouldn't their weapons still be in the other tent?'_ His eyes narrowed at them. "Why do you have—? Actually, never mind. Have you seen Octavia around?"

"No, I wasn't aware she even left the tent." They sat up on their forearms and turned their head towards the other bed. Empty. "Why do you want to bother her this time?"

"The guy that came back yesterday? Your people gave him a virus and sent him here to infect us. One of the guards just died from it and the one that survived said Octavia had first contact with the infected one."

"Oh shit." Kova turn around in the bed and sat up, briefly glancing at their legs. "Alright, you need to take me to him." Swinging one leg over the bed they used their hands to guide the injured leg to follow. _'I completely forgot what Lincoln told me last night.'_ Kova thought while grabbing their clothes and a hair tie before sitting up again.

"Why's that?"

Kova eyed him as if he asked a ridiculous question while tying their hair up into a bun. "Unless you want your little sister running off to Lincoln for information, I'm the best chance you've got at fixing this." Bellamy bit the inside of his cheek before gesturing with his hand, signalling for them to hurry and get dressed. He risked a glance to their bandaged leg before turning his head away. "So how'd you get that knife?"

They froze for a second, but came up with a quick answer. "I always keep an extra one somewhere no one looks." No matter how weird it sounded, it kept him from asking more questions. While they were in the middle of sticking their feet in the pant holes, a hand appeared in front of them. Bellamy twitched his fingers, as if to say _'cough up the weapon already.'_ "Really?"They gave a sigh at his simple nod and reached behind, passing him the knife. "Happy?"

He simply gave a nod before moving back to where he was before.

The cut was just under the back of their knee which made moving difficult, and pain shot up their leg when the fabric of their pants brushed against the cut when they pulled the pants up to their thighs.

His jaw clenched as he grew impatient. "Can you hurry up?"

A growl-like hum came from deep in Kova's chest as they quickly tugged their pants up. They felt the cut stretch, but not enough to rip open again. "Yeah sure, let me just ignore this huge cut on my leg from saving your co-leader." They would rather hurt themselves a little than ask for help from _this_ asshole. "So considerate." They grumbled under their breath as they threw on their boots. The scowl on his face no longer had any effect on Kova except irritate them. He was about to reply when screams grew louder from outside the tent.

"Clarke!"

They two eyed at each other briefly before frantically jumping out of the tent. Delinquents were running around in horror while their friends bled out of their eyes and ears. Some had already fallen to the ground, twitching every once in a while.

"Shit." Kova breathed out, watching with wide eyes. They snapped out of it quickly and grabbed Bellamy's attention by lightly hitting his arm with the back of their hand. "Find Octavia and bring her to the dropship. She has to get checked out asap."

Bellamy responded with a nod and ran off while Kova jogged in the direction of the dropship. They forgot to take their heavier top and jacket with them, so it felt strange only wearing the light tank top. The instant they reached the curtains of the dropship, they could smell the scent of drying blood and vomit. Pushing through the curtains, they walked up to Clarke.

"Kova, stay back." Clarke said while holding her hand up. The warrior shook their head and kept walking deeper into the first floor. "Why are you coming closer, can't you see there's a virus—"

"If this is what I think it is, I've been infected with it at least three times already." Kova glanced at Derek's dead body to the side of the entrance. "Who's patient zero?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Patient zero is the person that got infected first and spread the disease around the camp. I believe Bellamy told me the name was Murphy." Out of all things Clarke would have expected to come out of Kova's mouth, she wasn't expecting Bellamy's name to pop up. "You saw Bellamy?"

"He was trying to find his sister." They replied simply, resisting the urge to touch their ear. "I can show you what symptoms to keep an eye on, but I need to see Murphy first. Every strain is different, so what I've seen before might not be what we see here."

Clarke nodded and took Kova further down the room where Murphy was found resting in a corner, huddled around a blanket. Kova crouched in front of him, taking note of severe injuries that were visible. _'He was tortured, but by who?'_

Just as they were going to speak, the curtains flung to the side. Bellamy entered while holding a cloth to his face. Octavia followed close behind him. Clarke headed towards them as Kova dropped their knee and turned around. "Clarke, if she's not visibly sick then you need to look for swelling in the mouth and around the neck. Those are the most common symptoms of this virus."

While they spoke to Clarke, Murphy stirred behind them. He woke up to someone he had never seen before crouching in front of him, but had their back turned. If the strange clothing wasn't enough to set an alarm off, the tattoo on their left arm and circular welts on their shoulder blade startled him. He kicked out with his feet to sit up straight, which alerted the grounder.

Seeing movement at the corner of their eye, Kova turned their head to Murphy, only to confirm his suspicions. Five dots were tattooed along their left cheekbone, almost unnoticeable with their curly hair slowly falling out of the bun. He quickly scattered away from them, slamming his back into the wall. He honestly hoped it would just eat him whole. "Hey, relax. I just need you to open your mouth." Kova spoke softly as if he was a scared animal.

"Why, will you torture me just like your little friends?" The boy sneered despite his voice wavering in fear.

"No, I just need to see if you've gotten to the peak of the virus yet, now open your mouth."

"Murphy, just let Kova check it out." Clarke said before clicking off the light that shone in Octavia's mouth.

"Since when were you friends with the grounders?" Murphy said, eyes flashing between Kova and the trio. Clarke ignored him with a roll of her eyes and explained Octavia's evaluation. "Okay, we're done here. No visible signs of swelling or bleeding."

"So you're saying she doesn't have it?" Bellamy asked.

While the two talked, Kova leaned forward slightly to check Murphy's throat. He gathered spit in his mouth mixed with blood and spat in their face. They closed their mouth and eyes just in time. Three audible gasps behind them confirmed Kova's horrid suspicion. Bellamy was the first to step forward, although he was unsure if he was going to start conflict or try to prevent one. However Kova wiped their face calmly with their hand, opened their eyes, and smacked it onto Murphy's shirt. Just as Murphy opened his mouth in protest, Kova crudely stuck their fingers in his mouth and forced his jaw open.

The three stood there in shock until Kova called one of them over. "Clarke, come here." The woman hesitated, glancing between the Blake siblings before stepping closer. "The gums and uvula are always the first to swell up, but you can tell he's climbing over the peak of the virus since he already vomited and the swelling is going down." Kova quickly pulled their fingers from his mouth before releasing his jaw. Just as they suspected, he tried to bite their fingers off. "It means the virus will pass over quickly."

Murphy was tempted to snap at all of them, but Clarke's dark scowl made him keep his mouth shut. While Clarke stood to her full height, Kova picked up a bottle of alcohol and wiped down their hands and their face.

"Is there a cure?"

A shake of Kova's head brought all their shoulders down in distraught. "The only cure is natural selection. The virus can rapidly evolve if there were enough people, but since there's less than a hundred people here we don't have to worry about its evolution. If Murphy is already getting better, than it'll take two to three days for the virus to fully pass the camp."

"So we just wait it out?" Bellamy asked.

"Essentially, yes. Until everyone clears up."

"Bellamy, do you want to stop the spread or not?" Clarke rubbed a finger into the side of her temple, trying to sooth the headache forming. The idea of quarantine was difficult in such a small space, but they would have to manage.

His gaze fell over Octavia. "She'll get sick just being here."

"Look, I'll keep her on the third level with the other people who aren't symptomatic just yet. Think of it as a way to stop her from sneaking out again."

"Screw you, Clarke."

Bellamy pointed behind his shoulder with his thumb. "I have to get the others to work on the wall. There might be another retaliation soon. Stay safe."

Kova tugged the bottom of their shirt to wipe their face again. "If this is settled, I'll go clean up and bring separate water for you guys." It wasn't a complete lie. They were going to get them water, _after_ they get their weapons from whichever tent the sky leaders were hiding them in. Both sky leaders were busy, they might as well use the opportunity.

The two left the dropship together. Octavia was about to go up the ladder until a hand stopped her. Clarke leaned against the ladder, all her energy disappearing. "Octavia, wait. I need you to sneak out again."


	10. lavenders blossoming and withering

TW: Bodily fluids - blood, vomit

Based on 01x10

* * *

 **October 6, Year 2149  
Trikru Territory  
Just Outside of Tondc, Lincoln's Home**

* * *

"You want me to what?"

"I need you to find Lincoln and ask him if what Kova said was true." Clarke said while leaning against the ladder.

Taken aback Octavia took her foot off the ladder. "Why? You don't trust Kova?"

"It's not that I don't trust them, they just can't be our only reliable source. Lincoln might know something they don't. Will you please go?"

So Octavia snuck out. As excited as she was to see Lincoln again, she just wished it was under better circumstances. As soon as she arrived at the entrance of Lincoln's home, she didn't bother knocking and walked down the stairs and called out the man's name a few times. The moment she reached the bottom of the stairs, he came over to her hurriedly and silently lifted the sides of her hair to check her throat. She gave him a confused look, but then realization crossed over Octavia's face and she stepped away from him. "You knew."

It wasn't a question.

His jaw clenched. "I tried to tell you but you never came. "

"You were too late. I found the kid your people sent to infect us." Octavia hissed while pushing his hands away. "People are dying, Lincoln. Clarke sent me here for a cure."

"There is no cure." His eyebrows pulled together. "Did Kova not tell you?"

Octavia's shoulders slumped. "Yes, but Clarke needed to see if you knew more." Anger bubbled inside her throat once more. "Wait, so you were just going to let my people die? You were going to let _me_ die?"

"The sickness passes quickly." Lincoln defended. "There are a few who are immune. We just use it to soften the battlefield. I'm not surprised you are one of the strong." He placed a hand on her shoulder. Hurt flashed in his eyes when she pulled away, but he didn't mention it. "Battlefield? What are you talking about?"

"The warriors are attacking at first light."

"Did you tell Kova about this?"

"Yes, of course. Did they not tell anyone?"

 _'Why didn't Kova say anything about this? I'll have to ask later.'_ Octavia made eye contact with him and deliberately changed the subject. "You have to help me save them."

"I can't! I've tried already, and now my only sibling is a fugitive and my people think I'm a traitor."

"Why, because of the bridge? You were just trying to make peace!"

"It… It wasn't the bridge." Lincoln's hesitation made her freeze in place, and the look he sent her didn't help either. "Was it... because of me?" He couldn't look at her as he nodded his head. Octavia let out a small "oh."

"It doesn't matter anymore." Lincoln broke the sudden tension in the room. "I'm leaving, Octavia. Soon. I want you to come with me and Kova."

"To where?"

"There's a clan - east to the sea, then across it. They're allies of the woods but they'll take us in, I personally know the leader. I've already sent a message to her asking for a safe passage."

For her whole life she was stuck in the Ark underneath that cramped space and then stuck in a cell just for being born only until a few weeks ago. But now she had the opportunity to travel around the Earth freely? The idea was almost tempting. But thinking of her brother and her new friends, she hesitated. "I… I can't just let my brother get killed."

"There's nothing you can do about that now."

"I can warn them." _God_ , she was stubborn. It was one of the things he loved about her, but not at this moment. "Octavia, they will kill you. If you're there at dawn —"

"I won't be." She took a step back, heading towards the stairs. "Just wait for me here. I'm coming with you."

"Wait." Just before Octavia turned, she felt his hand wrap around her wrist. Lincoln pulled her into a kiss, which she broke off first before sprinting up the stairs and to the camp.

* * *

 **October 6, Year 2149** **  
Trikru Territory  
Senaah Forest, Delinquent's Campsite**

* * *

The trash talking just _never_ stopped following Kova's trail. All morning while they were helping the sick in the dropship, they were only met with slander and bullshit by the ill-fated sky people, or as Kova now liked to call them, the colonizers. The warrior really was just trying to help but every time the patient woke up Kova would be pushed away and/or cursed out heavily.

Growing tired of it they took a moment to breath away from everyone. The air around Kova was infected by the nasty virus floating around and had a tint of blood and vomit. They would usually be disgusted at the thought of breathing this in, but the stench brought back bleary memories Kova would rather forget.

 _There was a road carved into a mountain by nature. One of the few left after the last brutal attacks of the mountain men. The mask over Kova's nose and mouth could never hide the hundreds of dead bodies in death valley below. They could hear the sounds of other warriors walking and stumbling up the steep road, dehydrated and hungry. Although their cheeks were still smeared with blood and sweat, Kova's body had already bled from the sickness and passed the peak point a while ago, but their body couldn't recover fully before they had to move. They stood to the side for a break to catch their breath, heaving over slightly._

 _"Duck!"_

 _On instinct Kova and many others immediately dropped to the floor, Kova facing toward the mountain. Those who didn't hear or didn't follow were shot in the neck or head by arrows. One body landed right next to Kova's face and they grimaced and turned away, only to see Azgeda's army sprinting towards their mountain, bows and arrows in hand. T_ _he scent of old and fresh blood was disgusting._

"What's disgusting?" Similar to a few days ago, the hand that clapped their shoulder was recognizable to Kova without them having to turn around. They were thankful it was Wells who tugged them out of their thoughts, but they didn't let it show. "Shouldn't you be resting?" The kyongedon said quietly, turning their head towards the young boy. He laughed shakily, keeping his hand on Kova's shoulder so he wouldn't fall over. His back was hunched over from the virus stealing all of his energy. He had been sick for a while now. "Yeah, but you were worrying me. You got distant all of a sudden. Want to talk about it?"

"No." Kova didn't mean to be cold — especially to Wells out of all people — but the memory had shaken them up a bit. "I don't mean to be harsh, I just can't do that." They clarified after seeing a bit of hurt flash in his eyes, but the hint of pity they noticed annoyed them as well. "I'm going to see if Clarke needs anything." They muttered, patting his hand on their shoulder before leaving.

Heading over to the dropship door, they saw sky people dragging out the dead bodies that were in the dropship. The person they carried was the last one. Kova followed them outside and joined Clarke standing there, talking with Bellamy — something about medicine?

Kova stood next to the sky girl. The moment the two made eye contact with each other, they both dipped their head in acknowledgment. Their irritation sparked when Kova repeated the action to Bellamy, who scowled and looked away. _'He would rather die than talk to me, huh?'_ They rolled their eyes. Just as Clarke was about to leave, Bellamy called out for his sister. "Octavia, you okay?"

Clarke snapped her head back at Bellamy and froze like a deer in headlights. Kova turned to the dropship, wondering why Octavia hadn't responded yet. All Bellamy had to do was take two steps forward to get Clarke to confess. "Bellamy, wait. She's not here, I sent her to see Lincoln." Both Kova and Bellamy were stunned at her words. "If there's a cure, he might have it. I didn't tell you because I knew you wouldn't want to let her go."

"I already told you there was no cure." Anger and slight disappointment seeped into Kova's voice. "Do you not trust me? Even after helping your people and saving you?"

"If anything happens to her, you and I are going to have some problems." Bellamy added sharply before stalking off, ignoring Clarke calling his name. Kova and the sky leader met eyes again, but they shook their head in disappointment before following in Bellamy's footsteps and stepping away from her. Bellamy snapped at a delinquent to get out of his way, but when the teenager turned around there was blood seeping from his eyes. It was obvious he couldn't focus well on what Bellamy said. Everyone gasped and stumbled back while another delinquent warned others around him to get away from the infected boy while raising his gun and aiming at him. "Nobody touch him!"

"Get to the dropship, now!" Bellamy ordered.

On the other side of the incident, Raven stood by a group of people and noticed a girl was losing her balance. "Hey, are you okay?" She asked just as the girl toppled over. Two guys managed to catch her before she fell, and as payment she coughed blood to their face. The camp threw itself into chaos. Friends pitted against the infected and each other. Some delinquents tried to diffuse the situation to no avail. Those who had guns continued threatening both sick and alive until gunshots sounded from behind.

Clarke stood on the ramp, her gun in the air shooting at nothing. "Can't you guys see that this is what the grounders want? They don't have to kill us unless we kill each other first!"

A gun holder stepped up with his gun aimed at Clarke's chest. "They won't have to kill us if we all catch the virus, so get back in the damn dropshi—"

Before he could even finish his sentence, two people attacked him simultaneously. Bellamy grabbed his gun and butted him in the chin while Kova threw a low uppercut into his stomach. The boy stumbled back and crumbled to his knees, grabbing his stomach and chin while heaving loudly. Bellamy held the gun to the floor and to Kova's surprise, nodded gratefully to them. "Not to state the obvious, princess, but your quarantine isn't working." He said to Clarke, but her eyes were unfocused.

She didn't realize she was falling until Finn caught her just before she hit the ground. Raven's voice came from the crowd, but she couldn't understand what she said. "Hey, let me go. I'm okay." She muttered, trying to jump out of his grasp. "No, you're not." Kova wasn't aware of the whole relationship problem between Clarke, Finn, and Raven, but it wasn't that hard to figure out from the small details they heard around camp. It was obvious that this wasn't the first time Finn disappointed Raven, but she held a strange mix of emotions nonetheless.

"Octavia will come back with a cure." Clarke spoke, her voice hoarse.

"There is no cure!"

 _'Speak of the devil and she shall appear.'_ Kova thought as Octavia pushed her way through the crowd. All eyes turned to her. "The grounders don't use the sickness to kill."

 _God,_ was Kova tired of hearing that word.

"Really? Tell that to them." Bellamy gestured heatedly to the dead bodies to the side of the dropship. "I warned you about seeing that grounder again." He stalked over to her, ignoring the glares from Kova.

"Yeah? Well I have a warning for you too." Octavia faced the crowd surrounding them. "The grounders are coming! And they're attacking at first light." After breaking the news, the mob's hushed mumbles increasingly grew. Octavia tapped Kova's arm, gesturing to follow Finn and head into the dropship. Bellamy attempted to hold Octavia back for a second by grabbing her arm, but she ripped out of his grip and continued her way into the dropship.

* * *

 **October 6, Year 2149  
Trikru Territory  
Just Outside of Tondc, Lincoln's Home**

* * *

Outside the entrance of the cave the rustling of papers sounded from Lincoln's home. He was sorting through his possessions, packing anything necessary into a bag and anything not needed was organized neatly on the desk, should he return.

In his earlier days, Lincoln moved around buildings a lot at Tondc because at everyone house or apartment complex, he felt uncomfortable with having to make small talk. Eventually he settled on his own home, in the woods as funny as it sounded. He strangely preferred it this way. His warrior duties already gave him enough social interaction, so he was content here. Leaving the cave behind wasn't hard for him.

After adding the final touches to his bag on his desk, Lincoln couldn't help but let a smile creep on his face. Leaving with the two people he cared about the most was exciting for him, especially since they could get away from all the political drama.

His head rose at the sound of wings flapping. He didn't bother closing the door upstairs if he was going to leave soon anyways. Lincoln recognized the bird that flew into the cave was a messenger and stretched out his arm, allowing the creature to land on his forearm. Taking the parchment with his name on it from the pouch on its leg, he opened and read it.

 _My dearest Lincoln,_

 _You and I have watched each others backs both with the Emerald Boas as well as in our personal lives. You helped me escape the conclave and I will never be able to repay the favor. However, I deeply regret to inform you that I cannot allow Kova safe passage to Flokru._

The temperature of the room and his heart dropped. Lincoln was almost tempted to stop reading right there, but forced his eyes to continue.

 _Kova currently has a high bounty on their head for getting involved in your kidnapping as well as suspicion of being part of the Emerald Boas. The latter part surprised me the most, actually. I'm guessing they must have found your personalized mask, but I couldn't find a picture of any sort relating to the incident. Since they are one of the most wanted people of Trikru at the moment, they would only bring Flokru more problems than we could handle at the moment. I'm so sorry._

 _However the offer stands with you and your sky lover. Octavia may come, as long as she hasn't been involved in the political problems between the descendants of the Betrayers and Trikru. She can assimilate to cover her identity here._

 _Again, I'm sorry about Kova. Let me know what path you decide to take soon._

 _Luna_

By the time he finished reading, Lincoln's hands began to shake. Luna's reason for not accepting Kova was understandable — Flokru is well known for staying out of political affairs and problems — but it was still hard to take in. He needed to talk to Kova and Octavia asap.


	11. pieces of broken hourglass

TW: blood, sickness, vomiting

Based on 01x10 (we've been here for like four chapters now LOL)

Title: Fall Out Boy - Bishop's Knife Trick

* * *

 **October 6, Year 2149** **  
Trikru Territory  
Senaah Forest, Delinquent's Campsite**

* * *

"What do I have to do to stop you from coming in here?" Clarke murmured Finn's arms.

"Get better." He replied while searching for an open bed to put her down.

"If he's not sick by now, then he's probably immune like me." Octavia said just as Murphy climbed out of the hammock he rested on. "Here, she can take mine." He gestured and moved to the side.

"What else did Lincoln tell you?" Finn asked Octavia.

"The virus doesn't last long." She replied. 'It's true." Murphy called out, eyeing the Trikru warrior next to her. "I feel better."

Octavia's face fell when she followed his eyesight to Kova. "You and I need to talk." She said lowly so the others won't hear. Kova jutted their head to a more private area. "Let's go."

"They need to stay hydrated." Clarke's voice was raspy through the air. It seemed like she was fading in and out of consciousness, but that didn't stop her from trying to sit up. "You need to stay hydrated." Finn countered while lightly pushing her back down. He and Murphy tended to Clarke and the others while Octavia and Kova stepped away in privacy.

"Were you even going to tell me?" Octavia started.

"Tell you about what?"

She let a huff pass through her nose. "The grounders attack! Lincoln leaving! Were you going to say anything about it?"

"I'm not sure what part you're talking about, Lincoln and I talked a lot." Kova's eyes narrowed at her tone. They crossed their arms and leaned heavily to one leg. "If you haven't noticed, it's been busy around here. I only found out last night and I never found the time to even think about what he told me, let alone say something bout it." They paused, eyeing the girl in front of them. "Are you planning to leave with us?"

"You're going?"

"If Luna gives me the go ahead, then yes." There was a bit of hesitation before Kova gave their answer. It didn't take a genius to recognize the brief moment of doubt, and Octavia was ready to prey on that bit of uncertainty until Finn interrupted, standing between the two. "Kova, how much time until the virus passes?" They were slightly taken aback by his sudden appearance, but was secretly grateful they could avoid Octavia's look. "Probably a day, two or three at most. Why?"

"If we had more time to recover from the virus, then we could fight back. We just need to slow them down." He placed a hand on the side of their arm, which they looked at with a cocked eyebrow. "Come with me." He didn't bother explaining what he was talking about before rushing out of the dropship. Kova let out a scoff of disbelief but followed him anyways, ignoring Octavia's gaze. The two eventually reached a familiar looking tent. Just as Finn entered, Kova heard Raven's voice in the middle of her sentence. "—need as many rounds done by dawn as we can."

"It won't matter if there's no one left who can shoot." Finn cut in on the conversation and placed his hands on the desk. "What do we need to build a bomb?"

To Kova, his words were like a slap in the face. Revolted by his words, they took a step away from him and glared coldly at him. "Finn, what the fuck?"

"Wait, here me out. Murphy said he crossed a bridge on his way back here from the grounders' camp." He defended quickly with his hands up. "Sounds familiar?" Now that they knew his implications, Kova calmed down slightly with a nod but kept a suspicious eye on him.

"Is that the only bridge?" Bellamy asked, his hands on his hips.

"It is." The warrior confirmed when everyone looked at them for an answer. "It's the only bridge that connects us to the rest of Trikru territory the fastest."

"The virus is fast. Murphy is already getting better and Kova said it'll pass within a few days. Blowing up the bridge won't stop the attack, but the longer we delay it the more of us will be able to fight."

"Even if Murphy is telling the truth — and that's a big if — that bridge has survived a nuclear war and 97 years of weather. What do you think, Raven?" Bellamy and everyone else turned to the engineer expert.

She paused for a moment, thinking of different ways to make a bomb before it hit her — the fuel from the Exodus ship. "It won't survive me." Her voice was laced with well earned pride. "Everyone, out while I think. Get ready to head down to the Exodus site."

Jasper and Harper were the first ones to leave, giving Kova the side eye. It was obvious that they still weren't trusted within the camp _('which is understandable')_ , but the action made them clench their hands. Bellamy, Monty, and Finn followed without another word. While everyone left, Raven moved to one of her desks to work on something. Kova made a point that they weren't leaving just yet by leaning against the table in silence. Raven eventually dropped her things on the table and turned to Kova. "Why are you still here?"

"What's bothering you?"

"Excuse me?"

Being nosy with one of the few people in this camp who didn't hate them was the last thing Kova wanted to do, but they needed to know nothing was going to affect the mission. Putting trust in one another and letting everything out into the air were important to the kyongedon. They totally weren't being nosy for the sake of it. Definitely not. "I noticed your attitude changed after the whole dropship craze with Clarke and Finn. What's going on?"

"Well to start off, my head has been hurting like crazy ever since i crash landed on Earth which I didn't even know was gonna be possible in the first place; I'm worried about what's gonna happen to the people on the Ark; I'm worried I'm gonna die in some war I never signed up for; and I came here to be with the guy I've loved for years only to find out he's been cheating on me apparently since he landed here and he wasn't even gonna tell me about it." Her words were rushed, full of mixed emotions and problems. "So yeah, there's a lot of things bothering me right now."

There were many things Kova had expected from the mechanic. They expected her to tell them to 'leave her alone' or that she 'didn't want to talk about it,' or maybe even a 'fuck off.' But this whole time, ever since Raven landed on Earth, she felt like she had no one to talk to about her problems. All the pent up emotions she trapped within her kind of just...flowed out to Kova. To say Kova was surprised at the sudden unleashed emotions Raven gave was an understatement, but that didn't mean they were going to interrupt her in the middle of her rant.

"And today when Clarke passed out, Finn just caught her without hesitating! He risked his entire life but didn't even think twice about it! I know they had something down here before I came, and as much as I don't want to say this I think I lost him the moment the 100 came down here." By the end of it, tears tracked down her cheeks and gathered at her chin. "I just don't know what to do now."

"Did she know?"

"What?"

"Did Clarke know that you and him were in a relationship?"

"I..." Raven recalled the sky leader's surprised face when she kissed Finn. "I don't think so."

"So he didn't tell Clarke about you two. Then that's on him." They kept a small distance between them in case Raven didn't want to be comforted. "As much as I hate to say it, you're right. You probably lost him the moment he came down here. If he's fallen for her, there's not much you can do about it now." They said quietly as Raven wiped her face with the back of her hands. "There's no point in fighting Clarke over some boy, especially one who isn't giving you the love and appreciation you deserve. You deserve better than that."

"God." Raven smacked her hands on her legs, looking up at the ceiling. "He's the only one I have."

"A tree doesn't live long with a single strand of root, Raven. You need to build new connections with other people, whether those relationships are platonic or something else. As funny as this may sound, you have to be the tree." Kova paused. "Wow, that might've been the wisest thing I've ever said my whole life. Don't have any expectations from that though." A smile grew on Kova's face when they heard Raven's hiccups become a soft laugh.

* * *

After obtaining the hydrazine from the crashed Exodus ship, Raven was back in the tent pouring the dangerous liquid into a mason jar in the suit she came down with. The moment she twisted the jar closed and set it down on the desk, she took the suit off. "Alright, you can come in now." As Bellamy and Kova came in, Raven sneaked up and grabbed them by their shoulders. "Boom!"

The warrior would never admit that they startled a bit and tried to play it off as nothing. Raven had a huge grin on her face and even Bellamy snorted lightly. Finn finally came in after. "You guys can relax, it needs an accelerant." She said while demonstrating how the bomb needed to be built on the bridge. "To be safe, you need to be at least 200 feet away to make the shot."

"Feet? Why are we measuring in the imperial system?" Kova questioned with a confused frown.

"It's the measuring system we used on the Ark." Finn explained. "What do you use?"

"The metric system. We're not animals." All they wanted to do was smack the sneer off of Bellamy's face, but they refused to comment on it. "Anyways, does the distance you calculated include traumatic force?"

"It should." Raven nodded.

"Alright, who plants the bomb?" Bellamy asked. The silence couldn't have lasted for more than ten seconds before Finn stepped up. The boys continued talking in the background while Raven and Kova shared a look.

 _'_ _You see what I was talking about before, right? He hesitated with our lives on the line, but would he have if we were Clarke?'_

 _'_ _Yeah, I get what you mean.'_

"Finn, we have one bomb." Bellamy's voice brought their attention back to the situation, but Kova turned around and continued toying with the ingredients on the table, keeping their back to the others. "We need to use it to kill as many of them as possible."

"But they don't know we only have one bomb." Finn argued. "If we did, why would we waste it on a bridge? It's suppose to be a deterrent. Peace through strength."

"The appearance of strength, you mean." Raven countered, ignoring the look he sent to her.

"The men who built the bombs thought they were peacemakers too." Bellamy said. "How'd that work out for them?"

"They were scientists, Bellamy. They knew exactly what they were doing while building those bombs, they definitely knew they weren't peacemakers. They just did it for the money." They said while turning around. The moment they saw the blood drip from Bellamy's nose, they almost dropped the instrument they were holding. "Oh shit."

"Don't touch anything."

"Who else can take a shot?"

"Appreciate the concern." Bellamy narrowed his eyes at Finn. His head was slowly becoming woozy, but he tried not to let it show. "Just make sure the bomb is packed and ready to go in ten minutes, I'll go find someone." He said as he flapped the tent open. "Wait, Bellamy!" Kova was the only one who noticed his balance was off. "He's going to hurt himself like this. I'll see you two later, don't die alright?" They told them before running out of the tent.

Getting sick wasn't something Bellamy had to deal with often. This virus was a different story. It was so strong that it rushed through his body quickly and the dizziness came out of nowhere. His head was beginning to feel fuzzy, but he shook it off and found Jasper near one of the smaller campfires. He made sure Jasper was at a good distance so he wouldn't get infected before explaining what went down in the tent. Bellamy couldn't remember his exact words, but at some point Jasper's face became paler than his was.

"Take the shot, don't miss or else we'll all die." The words were already out of his mouth and made the other boy even more anxious about the mission. To Bellamy, who was becoming further delirious with every passing second, it wasn't his problem anymore. Jasper turned to find Finn as ordered and Bellamy began to walk in the vague direction of the dropship until everything abruptly turned white. He was so caught off guard that he barely registered that he was falling until he felt hands under his back.

He couldn't see who caught him but the first coherent thought that came into his head was that it was Jasper trying to help him. He weakly push the person away because there was no way he was going to lose his only gunner, but he tensed up after hearing the hazy voice. The whiteness cleared up and a blurry Kova shaped blob formed in his vision.

"Hey, relax. It's just me." They spoke gently while helping him onto his feet. No matter how much he tried to control himself or push the warrior away, his legs and arms were weak and shook under his weight. Taking note of this, Kova reached down and placed their arms behind his knees and back before picking him up bridal style. All the energy he had was getting sucked out by the virus.

The back of his shirt was already soaked in sweat. He felt the fever rise from deep in his chest, and the world was beginning to blur even further. He slowly blinked to clear his eyes and was taken aback slightly by Kova's cold glare fixated in front of them. Bellamy didn't know Jasper was still there until he followed their sight and held up his hand. "I'll be fine, go find Finn. Take the shot."

Reluctantly, the boy ran off. "God, Bellamy, what did you say to that kid? He looks even paler than you." Bellamy internally groaned as his head was starting to get fuzzy again, but it seemed like he also did this out loud since Kova quietly hushed him. He started to lose energy in his neck and his head began to loll around around while Kova took him to the dropship. _"Don't worry, I have you."_

* * *

The hours passed like minutes to the people in the dropship. Most were delirious, coughing up blood, and had high fevers and prayed they would make it out alive. Octavia and surprisingly Murphy were the ones carrying out the prayer. They ran around, tending to the sick without a break. Octavia was squatting next to someone and giving them water, but the call of her name made her raise her head just as Kova entered the dropship. Bellamy was huddled into their chest, sweating profusely and muttering to himself.

"Bell? No!" Octavia rushed to an unused bed, carrying a small bucket with a towel. "Lay him down here."

By the color of his face and the bulging veins in his neck it seemed like he was ready to vomit, so Kova quickly set him on the bed and turned him to his side. The moment his hip met the mattress, he vomited to the side without looking. A good amount landed on Kova's pants, but they paid no mind as they rubbed soothingly into his arm while Octavia did the same to his back. "Oh no, Bell."

"I'll go get him some water." Kova told her before rushing off. They vaguely heard the siblings begin to talk, but was distracted when someone bumped into their shoulder. They turned to apologize but paused when they saw Murphy standing there with his back turned against them.

"Don't worry about it." He murmured before continuing his route.

That surprised Kova the most, but they didn't think about it too much. When they returned to the Blake siblings with the cup, Bellamy already passed out.

"Kova, if you're not busy do you mind keeping an eye on him?" Octavia asked, standing up. "I have to keep helping around."

"I don't mind. Go." They heard her run off to tend to the others. Kova took the wet towel from the bucket and squeezed the water out. "Dammit, his temperature just keeps going up." They muttered to themselves while dabbing the sweat from his face. "It's going to be a long night."

* * *

 **October 7, Year 2149** **  
Trikru Territory  
Senaah Forest, Landing Site**

* * *

The skies were still dark, but hints of orange began to shine at the horizon. The weather was awful for the sick in the dropship, and many of them began to shiver despite feeling feverish. Bellamy woke up from how hard he was trembling under the blanket. He had enough energy to sit up, but his arms shook under his weight. Throwing his legs over the side of the mattress, he turned around at the sound of footsteps. After grabbing a cup of water, Kova heard shifting from Bellamy's mattress and headed back to him. "Good to see you awake." They said, holding up the cup for him to take.

Instead, he shoved it back and knocked the water to the floor in the process. "Go away, grounder." Tongue in cheek, Kova's temper began to crack. "You're dehydrated, drink the water." They placed the cup between them on the floor and took the towel from the bucket by the mattress after squeezing the water out.

Realizing what they planned to do, Bellamy quickly wiped his face with his shirt and the back of his hand. "I don't need help from someone like you." He spat out, his voice hoarse.

"If it weren't for me, your fever would have killed you before the virus did." They picked up the cup from the floor. The action brought his attention to the blood streaked floor, then to the blood splatter across Kova's pants. Every facial movement he made felt dry and cracked. The realization showed on his face.

"Drink up." Kova continued, placing the cup in one hand and the damp towel in the other. "If you're that uncomfortable, then wipe yourself down." They stood, and he absolutely hated the way they looked down on him as if he were a pathetic annoyance in their eyes. "Finn and Jasper left a long time ago and I have no idea where Raven went." Just as Bellamy was about to ask about his sister, Kova was ready with the answer. "Octavia's resting. She spent the whole night helping around so she and Murphy switched shifts."

He folded the towel and began to wipe his mouth and neck down, the scowl ever-present on his face. He didn't notice the way Kova's eyes followed the towel. "You need to stay away from her." He warned, albeit halfheartedly. "I would take you more seriously if you weren't acting like a child." The smirk on Kova's face only riled him up more. "You sound like one, too. Drink the damn water, already." They turned around and left without another word, ignoring his infuriated gaze.

Bellamy kept his eyes on them until Kova left his sight and startled when he felt someone plop on the mattress. "Hey, are you feeling better?" Clarke asked.

"Yeah." His scowl returned when he caught sight of Murphy, who moved to a different patient. "You let him take care of the sick? Do you trust him?"

Clarke scoffed. "Trust? No. But I do believe in second chances."

His eyes flickered to the cup on the floor, then to the area where Kova disappeared behind. He shook his head. "It's almost dawn." Bellamy changed the subject quickly. "We should get everyone inside. If we lock the doors, maybe the grounders won't think we're home."

"But not everyone is sick."

"Sick is better than dead."

Silence stood between them for a moment. "You don't think Finn and Jasper are gonna pull it off."

"Do you?"

"...I'll get everyone inside."

* * *

As the sun began to rise, so did everyone's worries. There was still no signal that the bridge had exploded or failed, but everyone assumed the worst and started lining up to enter the dropship.

 _'_ _Masks won't protect them from the disease, but there's no other choice.'_ They were briefly reminded of their time in the war on that mountain, sick with a stronger version of the virus, puking every time they moved too roughly through the forest. Being with the sky kids made Kova truly realize how weak they were. They had no type of training in terms of fighting and solely relied on their guns. If they had landed in Azgeda territory, they would have died within the week. Kova was brought out of their thoughts at the sound of an explosion. Everyone turned their heads simultaneously at the mushroom cloud that formed.

"They did it." Bellamy spoke in slight awe.

"I am become death, destroyer of worlds." Clarke quoted. Her eyes flickered between Bellamy and Kova briefly. "From Oppenheimer, the man who built the first—"

"I know who Oppenheimer is." Bellamy interrupted with a small smirk.

"Oppenheimer actually stole that quote from a Hindu scripture, so it wasn't really his quote." Kova corrected without looking at the two. Instead they were busy signalling people to back away from the dropship. They glanced at the mushroom cloud, fear crawling up their neck. "Excuse me." They muttered before leaving the two sky leaders.

 _'_ _I gave my everything for my clan, yet Trikru betrayed me. I should feel better knowing their attack is delayed, so why do I feel this weight in my gut?'_ Ever since Kova has been with the sky people, they began to question themselves and where their loyalty belonged. A piece was still kept to Trikru, for some strange reason, but Kova realized it was actually for their brother. _'Speaking of.'_ They reached a secluded part of the camp and climbed over the wall. They landed lightly and greeted Octavia on the other side in their usual manner. The two trekked through the forest and followed the lilies and lavender.


	12. the truth untold

I finally finished editing! After talking to a lot of Bellamy rp-ers, I think I finally got the hang of his character? I forgot he's more anti-grounder in s1 so there will be a lot more tension :3c

lets hope for the best lol!

Title: BTS - The Truth Untold

* * *

 **October 7, Year 2149  
Trikru Territory  
Just Outside of Tondc, Lincoln's Home**

* * *

Under Commander Rha's reign, Floukru had grown exponentially, drawing in thousands of refugees, orphans, and peace makers from clans all around who didn't want to be involved in war anymore. The oil rig the original members lived in had to be expanded to accommodate the thousands of new members into a community of stilt houses. Since the beginning, Floukru's main ideologies have always been about peace and avoiding conflict. If Kova hadn't been exposed, Luna would have allowed them safe passage into Floukru without a doubt. They were a well known and respected member of Trikru, but now they were a well known _wanted_ person under multiple accounts such as treason and assault of a higher up.

Lincoln should have seen this coming. He had to think quickly — explain or lie? The idea of lying left a nasty aftertaste in his mouth, especially to someone he considered family, but if it kept the three of them together he was willing to do it. The creaking of the entrance door made him hunch over his desk. He should have prepared for something like this. Maybe they could all go to Floukru together and he could tell Luna that he never received a letter back, that the bird must have dropped the letter or got into a fight or—!

That definitely wasn't going to work. Luna would see right through him. The two people he cared for the most came through the doorway. He turned his head as the palms of his hands began to sweat even further, but Lincoln wouldn't let his panic show. "We need to talk."

"We had to stop the attack."

"That's…" not what he wanted to talk about, but he'll take it if it meant putting off the topic for a little longer, "Listen, there's so much you don't understand. The mountain men, they'll come and kill us all. We have to get out of here while we still have a chance."

"The mountain men? You mean the drawings in your book?"

"Yeah." He threw his packed bag over his shoulder. "Now let's go, we have a lot of ground to cover before dark." Lincoln began to sweat profusely at the feeling of Kova's stare dig into his back. _'Please don't ask, please don't—'_

"Did Luna give me the go ahead?" Their voice cut through the air. Kova knew him too well. The way his eyes couldn't meet theirs and his overall lack of talking made them question what happened.

"She… She never responded. It's too late now, we should get going."

 _"_ _Linkon."_ He rarely heard his name come from Kova like that, stern and slightly deeper. He couldn't help but flinch slightly. Fuck, he was caught. "Did. Luna. Grant me. Passage?" His silence and the look in his eyes — guilt? panic? — told Kova everything they needed to know. "Then I cannot go."

His body became rigid at the words. He swung around ready to argue but Kova continued. "I had a feeling something like this might happen. Luna would never risk her clan for one person, especially not someone with my public status." They placed a hand on his shoulder, giving him a small smile. He could see the slight disappointment in their eyes. "I'll stay with the sky people until I can find better refuge. If I move around, I'll tell you where."

"Kova, no…" Lincoln wanted to argue against the idea with every inch in his body, but with what? He didn't have a backup plan and they were too short on time. His thoughts were hindered when he felt his sibling's arms around him, which he reciprocated tightly. "Come with us and find refuge in another clan."

"I doubt any of them would take me, especially if the Commander is after my head. The sky people won't turn me in after I helped them. They're my best shot." _'I hope, anyways.'_ "Don't worry about me, okay?" Kova kissed his cheek lightly. "We'll find each other again. We always do in the end, right?"

"Of course." He felt the back of his eyes and nose bridge heat up from the tears. "Write to me when you can. I'll try to do the same. I'm so sorry." Lincoln murmured before letting them go.

"There's nothing to apologize for. This is my own choice." Kova patted his cheek lightly and attempted to smile, but their lips wavered. "Goodbye, _brother._ "

They turned around quickly. They knew any hesitation on their part would only slow Lincoln down. Kova walked to the door but before they left, they placed a hand on Octavia's shoulder briefly before heading up the stairs, restraining their tears. Their voices faintly traveled up the steps, and even though Kova couldn't hear their words well they already knew Octavia was breaking the news that she wasn't leaving either.

Kova leaned against the side of Lincoln's entrance, watching the scenery around them. The leafs were beginning to fall in yellows and oranges now. _'This might be the last time I ever see this area.'_ They thought somberly. The sound of Octavia's footsteps rushing up the stairs made their heart drop further. There was nothing they wanted to do more than comfort their brother, but if they dared go back down their decision might waver. They knew Lincoln would be safer at Floukru, Kova didn't want him anywhere but there.

"Ready?" They asked as Octavia reached the top step. They purposely looked the other way while the girl wiped her face with the back of her hands. "...Yeah."

* * *

 **October 7, Year 2149** **  
Trikru Territory  
Senaah Forest, Delinquent's Campsite**

* * *

"They're back! Open the gates, they're back!"

Harper's announcement of the bomb squad's return created a deafening uproar within the camp. Everyone scrambled to haul the gate open and cheer at the arrival of Monty and Jasper, who stumbled in side by side, boyish grins on their face. Kova and Octavia sent each other a confused glance.

 _'_ _I thought they were fighting?'_

 _'_ _Not anymore, I guess.'_

Alarmed shouts sounded from the people keeping watch around the area. Clarke ran to the entrance at the sight of a figure in the forest, and without thinking Kova sprinted past the open gate to see who it was. Panicked gasps came from the camp behind, although Kova couldn't tell if it was because they could see the figure or because they ran out of the camp.

A small, selfish piece within them hoped it was Lincoln, but the thought withered away when the figure cleared up. It was Finn, stumbling over roots of the trees with an arm around Raven. He was nearly dragging her to the camp.

"Raven!" Kova climbed and hopped over the roots with ease. Without sparing a glance to Finn, they held the woman's face in their hands. Her face was hot and it seemed like she was going to pass out at any second. They picked her up bridal style, but they paused before they carried her to the dropship. Kova sent a steel glare to Finn, who's spine shuddered in response. "You even carry her differently." They practically growled at him before rushing off to the camp.

Clarke followed the two into the dropship and guided Kova to a hammock for Raven. The two quickly checked her vitals and symptoms before agreeing she was past the peak. _'Thanks the gods for that.'_ Kova thought as they pulled up a chair to the wall closest to Raven while Clarke left the dropship. They wanted to give some space since Finn stood by the hammock, but his eyes were on Clarke when she left.

From Kova's angle they couldn't see Raven's face well, so they were surprised to hear her voice. They thought she knocked out. They couldn't clearly make out what she and Finn were talking about until Bellamy's name came from Raven's lips. "When Bellamy asked who was going to take the bomb. You hesitated."

"It's what people do when they're considering something that might blow them up, right?"

"You didn't hesitate when Clarke was falling." The dropship became _very_ quiet all of a sudden. Kova sucked in air through their teeth, cringing at the tension in the room. "You knew she had the virus, but you caught her anyways."

"Raven—"

"You didn't hesitate."

"Raven, I love you." Kova couldn't help but audibly scoff and ignored the weak glare they earned from Finn. _'Please, that was such a lousy attempt. Didn't know he's that type of person.'_

"Not the way I want or deserved to be love. Not the way you love Clarke." Kova mentally nodded at her words. Their eyes widened when they saw Raven take off her necklace and hand it back to him. "It's over, Finn."

* * *

 **October 8, Year 2149** **  
Trikru Territory  
Senaah Forest, Delinquent's Campsite**

* * *

"Damn girl, you really did that!"

The moment Finn left, Raven fell asleep for the entire day. Her body recovered from the disease, but she was still a bit sick and had to stay in the dropship. When she woke up, Kova was by her side with a few cups of water. After she was hydrated, the two talked throughout the whole day, ranging from Kova's life on the ground to Raven's engineering skills and personal life. Eventually they reached the topic of Finn.

"You were there?"

"I was behind you." They explained, pointing to the wall just out of Raven's sight. "I wanted to make sure you wouldn't relapse, I didn't mean to eavesdrop." They couldn't help but laugh at the look she sent them, as if saying _'yeah, right.'_ "Okay, I admit I was interested, but I really was making sure you were okay." They held up their hands in surrender. "There weren't many people here when you broke it off with Finn, but it felt like the whole world just got quiet when you called him out on his blatant feelings for Clarke."

"Did you see how he watched her when she left? When he looked at me, it was a completely different feeling!" She took a deep breath and exhaled through her teeth. "I couldn't handle it anymore."

"Remember when you were comparing how he treated you versus Clarke? When he brought you back to the camp, he wasn't really carrying you — your feet were dragging against every root! But when Clarke fell, he swept her off her feet." Kova couldn't help but feel heated as well. The idea of someone treating their friend poorly was enough to piss them off. "I had to hold back from ripping his head off."

"Don't, I shouldn't get angry right now." Raven said while pinching the bridge of her nose. "I'll get a headache."

"Sorry to interrupt your gossip talk," A voice spoke from behind them. "But I need Kova for a moment."

"Oh?" Kova recognized that voice immediately without turning. "What for, Bellamy?"

Raven looked at them in surprise. _'They didn't even look at him, how did they know?'_ She wanted to ask quietly so Bellamy didn't hear, but the man stepped closer to them before she had the chance.

"The Mountain Men."

Out of all reactions, the two sky people weren't expecting the warrior's face darken so quickly at those three words. Their jaw clenched tightly for a moment before they stood up. "I'll be back later." Kova placed a hand on Raven's shoulder. "Try to move around, but don't push yourself too much." They said before heading outside.

"Yeah, I got it." Raven said distractedly. She sent Bellamy a questioning look, but he shook his head and mouthed _'later.'_ and followed Kova outside.

The two walked side by side to their destination silently. Kova would usually try to start a conversation, but seeing as they were still on shittier terms with Bellamy they didn't bother. "Octavia told me about Lincoln." Bellamy's voice and the mention of their brother's name threw Kova off. They hadn't thought about the meeting since they returned to the camp with Octavia.

"You wouldn't know about the mountain men otherwise."

The two reached the tent, but before Kova pulled the flap open Bellamy pushed their arm away. "Why are you doing this?"

"Doing what?"

"Don't act stupid." He snapped. "Why are you helping us? What do you gain from it?"

They hadn't even responded yet, but their upturned smirk visibly annoyed him even further. Their words poured more gasoline onto the fire. "Because you're all weak." Without another word, they whipped the flap open and entered, not bothering to hold it for Bellamy. Clarke, Octavia, and surprisingly Wells, Jasper, and Monty stood around a table.

"It's good to see you up and around." They smiled at Wells, which he reciprocated. "Alright," Kova sat down at the only chair in the middle of the table just as Bellamy joined them, the same annoyed scowl on his face. "Where should I begin?"

"The mountain men. Who are they, and why was Lincoln so scared of them?" Clarke started the conversation off. The situation felt similar to Tristan's interrogation from a few weeks ago, but less hostile. It wasn't a requirement to answer their questions, but truthfully Kova took pity on the 100. They had no idea what they were doing or what they had gotten into. Deep down, it wasn't just pity, even though it seemed like that from what they told Bellamy.

"That one needs a bit of backstory. There are three different types of humans around that we know of. There's us, who you often refer to as the 'grounders,' then there's you guys, who we often refer to as the 'descendants of betrayers.' I'm assuming you all know the history about that by now?" Jasper, Monty, and the Blake siblings were the ones who shook their heads.

"To summarize, when the nuclear attack happened there were three different types of survivors that we know of. There were people who hid in bunkers, some who were unfortunately stuck on the surface, and then there were those with enough connections and/or power to go to space. That's why the space people were referred to as the betrayers. But you all are sky people, their descendants, now referred to has the colonizers. Any questions so far?"

"What about those left behind?" Clarke asked.

"There are two different types that were left behind on Earth to die, but survived." Kova tried to be as unbiased as possible, but it was difficult when this was the attitude they heard constantly when the story was retold. "Us, the land people, and the Mountain Men. The Mountain Men are survivors who took refuge in the bunkers for the past century. They're the closest you would get to society before the Foresakening."

"Foresakening?"

"That's what we call the nuclear event. The problem with the mountain men is that they never evolved to survive the radiation, so they can't come out of their bunkers without wearing special hazmat suits. That's our theory, but it seems to be the best one."

"Why do they come out?" Wells asked.

Kova's jaw clenched. "We're not exactly sure, but the scouts noticed whenever they did come out, our people go missing. For a while we thought the mountain men were kidnapping us, but that doesn't seem…" Kova gestured their hand. "Reasonable, for the lack of a better word. When Lincoln said the mountain men will kill us all," Their eyes flickered to Octavia for a moment. "It's because of that."

"That shouldn't be a problem then." Bellamy said. "They can't do much if they're stuck in that bunker."

"Have you all encountered the Fog yet?" The way they all turned to Kova in shock made them sigh. "That's from the mountain men. It comes when someone is too close to their 'area,' but the acid fog moves further than the river. It's why we had to spear Jasper when he crossed the river."

"What?! That was you?"

"No, I was only put on scout duty at the camp. The incident became well known since there was a gun involved, a weapon we haven't seen in a century." Kova pinched the bridge of their nose, annoyance building up. "If you had gone further, the fog would have been released during hunting time and we couldn't have that. The trees around here have already adapted to it, but not the animals nor us."

"Alright, let's switch gears then." Clarke said before Jasper could speak. "Where did Lincoln go, and how many clans are there?"

"And how long do you think we have before _your_ people retaliate?" The accusatory tone of Bellamy's voice didn't sneak by Kova, but they chose not to remark on it.

"There are twelve clans joined by the coalition. Truthfully, the bond is weak because of Rha, our previous Commander, but our current leader is making them stronger. Slowly, but surely. Lincoln went to a clan called Floukru. I won't say anything more than that since I know the leader of the clan personally."

"You know them personally, and they still didn't take you in?" Octavia gaped.

"That's… That's more complicated." Kova couldn't meet anyone's eyes. "I'm a wanted person of Trikru because of what happened in the past few weeks. Treason, assault of a higher up, bandit affiliation, and probably more. Floukru can't accept me without damaging their relationship with Trikru, so they denied me passage. I know their leader too well, I had a feeling. It's understandable.

"As for retaliation from Trikru, you all have a few days at most. It depends on how many injuries or casualties they sustained. Also," Kova hesitated, swallowing a lump in their throat. "Call them Trikru or _kyongedon_ if you're referring to all of us who were born on the ground. Calling them grounders is weird and sounds derogatory now. I also don't think it's right to call them my people anymore." Their voice cracked. Kova was terrified to death. They spent 25 years with Trikru, and 17 with their warrior unit. Then it all fell apart within a few weeks. All that hard work, crumbling into pieces. They bit the inside of their cheek as they tried to hold back the burning behind their eyes. "Sorry, excuse me." They said quietly before rushing out of the tent.

"Kova—!"

"Leave them." Octavia held out an arm to prevent Clarke from going after them. "They spent their whole life with Trikru. It's a big change for them. Let them be."

They didn't come back.


	13. the worst has yet to come

Based on 01x11

Title: Paramore - Told you so

 **October 9, Year 2149** **  
Trikru Territory  
Senaah Forest, Delinquent's Campsite**

* * *

"Anything new?"

Clarke glanced briefly in Bellamy's direction behind her before returning her sight to the forest. "Nothing so far." She shook her head in response as he hiked up the small hill. "It's been two days. Maybe the bomb at the bridge scared them off for good."

"You really believe that?" He asked while overlooking the scenery. It was beautiful, but the foliage could hide a potential threat.

There was a pause. "No. They're coming."

"Well, Jasper thinks he can cook up some more gunpowder if he can get his hands on some sulfur." The sky leaders began to walk down the hill to join the others in perimeter watch. "Raven says she can turn that into landmines, so be careful where you step."

"Ha! Funny. Where is he going to get the sulfur from?"

"He mentioned talking to Kova about it."

Her eyebrows raised at that. "Really? I wasn't expecting that."

"Oh, I'm sure he's going to ask Raven to talk to Kova for him. What I really need is a thousand more of Raven's tin can bombs I can roll into their village and blow those grounders to hell."

Clarke sent him a look of disapproval.

"What? That's what they want to do to us." He defended, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Don't say that if Kova's around." She chastised, crossing her arms. "I can't believe we survived a hundred years just so we could slaughter each other. There has to be another way." She turned back to him. "Any word from the Ark?

"Radio silence." Bellamy shook his head before looking up at the sky between the leafs. "Guess they finally ran out of air."

"Maybe my mom was lucky being on the Exodus ship. At least it was quick. No one is coming down to save us."

* * *

"You need _what?"_

"S-sulfur."

Out of everyone in the camp, Jasper was the last person Kova was expecting to talk to. They knew what had happened to him — getting speared for crossing the river and poisoning created his fear of not just Trikru, but _kyongedons_ in general — yet there he was, asking them for help. Granted, it was to kill their fellow Trikru warriors (although, 'fellow' wasn't the best word at the moment.) Silence took over the dropship with the exception of Monty's tools clinking in the background. Every once in a while he would peek at the two while working on the black box from the exodus ship.

It wasn't hard to figure out why Jasper wanted the sulfur. Even though he and Monty wouldn't know at this moment, Kova knew this would be the ultimate betrayal, the final blow to their relation with their people, whether even Trikru knew about it or not. But Kova had to look at the bigger picture. If they didn't tell Jasper where sulfur could be found and how to properly extract it, who knows what could happen? Trikru could decide to take the fight at the dropship, and without the horrifying yet efficient weapons the sky people relied on, there was almost no way Kova would survive.

Their body hunched with the heavy sigh that left their lips. "When you leave the gate, head north west. There are natural hot springs that give out a green-ish yellow sulfur in abundances. You can't miss it."

"How- How long would it take to get there?"

"Without any problems? Two to three hours at least." They headed towards the table Monty was at and pulled out a paper and a pen. "I can draw you a map, if you'd like." They noticed Monty and Jasper glance at each other with suspicious raised eyebrows. "What?"

"Why are you helping us?" Monty asked. "You know what we have planned out, right?"

"I'm not a fool!" Kova whipped around, their braided hair smacking into their shoulder. "This war is complicated. I truly believe the majority of it is your people's fault." The boys opened their mouth but that didn't stop Kova from continuing. "However no matter how I see it, a portion _is_ Trikru's fault. For not trying to listen and not trying hard enough to stop conflict. History repeats itself when we don't learn from our mistakes." They muttered the last sentence under their breath. The atmosphere around the three of them grew heavy as Kova finished the handmade map.

"Besides," They held out the paper to Jasper, who slowly took it. "if I don't do this, I'll die with you all."

 ** _"_** ** _Someone help! There's a fire!"_**

* * *

"So, you kept _all_ the food in one place?" Kova stood on top of the ashes of what was the meat house. In the background, a few delinquents tried to search for any edible food left. Bellamy, who was crouched close by to them, threw an unamused scowl to Kova. "You keep making that face at me, it'll be stuck like that forever you know. Or is it already too late?"

"Hush up." He said as Clarke joined them, asking what had happened. "Murphy says that Del kept feeding the fire, mostly because Octavia told him it was a bad idea."

"And we believe Murphy?"

"Yeah, I do."

"Of course this would happen with Trikru breathing on our necks." She let out a sigh. "We have some wild onions and nuts in the dropship. It's only enough to last us maybe one or two weeks. What's left here?"

"Nothing." Wells spoke from behind them, his hands stained in the black ashes. "It all burned."

"Then we should hunt and gather." Kova suggested.

Clarke agreed with a nod of her head. "Anyone we can spare should go out."

"With the whole grounder army out there?" Bellamy questioned.

"Look, we can't defend ourselves if we're starving."

"Trikru is most likely recovering from any damages the bomb gave them, or they're busy trying to find a different way to get here." Kova pointed out. "They won't be attacking for a while."

"I still don't like this." Arms crossed in front of his chest, Bellamy tilted his head as if waiting for an argument. "We can create a perimeter limit." A middle ground was proposed by Wells. "Not too far out in case Trikru retaliates, but far enough to find animals to hunt."

The four of them looked at each other for a moment, coming into terms with an agreement. "I'll let everyone know." Bellamy said, heading towards the dropship.

* * *

While the entire camp swarmed to the dropship after the announcement, Bellamy had granted Jasper permission to take a small team and find the sulfur from the natural springs. Kova had pasted a map onto the dropship wall with red circles around the best hunting places within the perimeter Wells had set up. For those who preferred to gather fruits and berries, the areas were highlighted in green ink.

Pairing up with a group to hunt felt strange for Kova. They were used to hunting by themselves, but having Octavia and Wells by their sides made things… entertaining, to say the least. After tripping over roots, dirt, rocks, and even knocking into low branches, Wells was put on gathering duty since he kept scaring the animals away. Octavia switched from hunting to gathering since the animals around the area were too small to use the poorly made spear and too hard to catch.

The small throwing knives Kova had on them were used for the rabbits and squirrels. The hunter briefly wondered where all the deer and bigger animals were, but decided not to bring it up as the trio head back to camp.

Wells' pockets were stuffed with berries, and the fruits he carried almost spilled out of his arms. Earth skills and the others classes were actually useful to Wells. For Octavia, it came back to bite her in the butt. She never paid attention in those classes, always nodding off while Wells was attentive and focused on every word. "How long have you been doing this for?" Wells directed the question to the kyongedon.

"My whole life." They answered as they attaching the animals to the pole of the useless spear and hoisting it over their shoulders. The three began to head back to the camp. Just as they appeared from the forest line, the gates opened.

"Guys, they brought food!"

The delinquents whooped and cheered over the amount of goods the three brought and motioned them to a large table. People were washing off the other groups' fruits, but there weren't many skinned animals. The moment Kova placed the pole of the spear on the table people took them and started skinning. Octavia and Wells started washing off their gatherings. _'Huh.'_ They thought as a few sky kids passed by, thanking them. _'This feels...nice?'_

A tap on their shoulder made them turn around. "Hey." Raven stood close to Kova while Bellamy and Monty stood by, grim expressions on their face. Octavia and Wells joined them. "Can we talk?"

* * *

 **October 9, Year 2149** **  
Trikru Territory  
Deep in Senaah Forest**

* * *

"I thought you said you were heading west." Monty spoke into the radio. "Where are you?"

"Just keep the moon to your left and you'll find us." Bellamy responded.

Clarke, Finn, and Myles were missing. After informing Kova, Octavia, and Wells about the missing group, the six of them decided to try and find them before it was too dark.

Raven was paired with Octavia, Monty with Kova, and Bellamy with Wells. Each group was given a radio. Kova was surprised at the sturdy technology Raven had built within a few hours, but there was a strange noise interfering with Monty's radio. The two looked at each other with confusion written on their face. "Is anyone else hearing this signal?" He asked to the others, walking over the foliage around him, Kova hot on his heels.

"Just keep your eyes open."

"I think it's the same thing we heard in the black box."

"Black box?" Kova asked.

"We found a recording of the Exodus ship before it crashed. The signal was interfering with whatever was going on at the ship." He answered just as Bellamy came back on the radio. "Damn it, Monty, pay attention. Do you see anything? Report."

Walking out into the opening first, Monty was just about to respond until he stopped in his tracks. "Oh my god."

Kova sent him a questioning look to his back and stepped to the side to see why he stopped suddenly. In front of them were two people in hazmat suits facing west, one with a camera and the other with a spray bottle in their hand. They were all frozen in place.

"The mountain men?" Kova hushed under their breath in fear, but they were the first to snap out of their shock. "Monty, get behind me!" They jerked him by the back of his shirt and sprinted to the enemy. One raised the spray bottle but before they could press the trigger, it was knocked out of their hands by Kova's roundhouse kick, following by a back kick that sent the mountain man flying back.

* * *

"What's going on?" Bellamy's voice came from the radio just as he joined Raven and Octavia. With Monty's thumb still on the radio's communicator, Kova's shout was overheard on the device, followed by static.

"Bellamy, Wells, we got something in the bushes." Octavia and Raven were by a quivering bush. "Try to get Monty and Kova back on." He ordered Wells, who took the radio from his hands with a nod.

Raven pushed the bushes to the side, revealing Myles laying underneath with arrows embedded into his chest. "Myles?" She asked. "What happened? Where are they? Clarke and Finn, where are they?"

"Grounders took them." He grunted out, holding his injuries tightly.

"Take it easy." It was a hard decision, but now there was a new problem. "We have to get him back to camp." The girls sent him a look. "Something is going on with Monty and Kova right now. We have to find them."

"We'll need to make a stretcher."

* * *

Monty never thought he would ever see _fear_ in Kova's eyes. He kept fidgeting with the radio's settings, hoping that something would get rid of the static and let him talk to Bellamy. Just as the first mountain men was down after the warrior's strong back kick, the second one tried to attack but Kova threw them over their shoulder and face first into the floor.

It so happened to be where the spray bottle had dropped.

Kova could only see their reflection in the glass of the hazmat suit as the mountain man rolled over and sprayed the substance into Kova's face. It _burned_ at their nostrils and eyes and made them dizzy. They quickly moved away from the enemy before falling on their butt so they would have a less chance of getting knocked down even further. Both mountain men retreated immediately, limping back to whatever hell they came from.

The sky boy rush to Kova as soon as he saw the yellow hazmats disappear into foliage, patting their back while they coughed and heaved into the floor, siting on top of their legs. "What did they do to you?" Monty asked, keeping an eye on their surroundings.

"It was pepper spray, but it wasn't enough." They rasped, pushing their hair from their face, eyes bloodshot. "We need to get back to camp, right now." Kova tried to stand, but quickly fell back to their knees with a grunt. "Whoa, you can't go anywhere like this." Monty said, keeping his hands close by in case they fell unconscious. "The others will find us."

"We're sitting ducks like this!" He jumped at the sound of Kova's growl and their fist slamming into the floor. Their eyes still burned like crazy, but the tears washed it out slowly. "I should have sliced their suits so I can watch them suffer."

Speechless was an understatement. Monty didn't know how to react to their violent comment, but was saved by the movement in the trees. "Oh thank god." Monty muttered. "It's the others." Wells and Bellamy were carrying a makeshift stretcher holding an injured Myles. Octavia and Raven ran over to the two and helped them up. Through the blurry tears, Kova noticed there were two people missing. "Clarke and Finn?"

Ravens hand tightened on their arm.

"We found nothing." Poorly concealed worry slipped into Bellamy's tone. "We'll talk about it more on the way back."


	14. alive in death valley

TW: Death, bit of violence

based on 01x12

Title: Fall Out Boy - Death Valley

* * *

 **October 10, Year 2149  
East Side of Trikru Territory**

* * *

The leafs crunched underneath his heavy shoes. With every step, a nauseating feeling formed in the pit of Lincoln's stomach until at some point, he fell to his knees and laid down on the Earth. He stared at the oranging trees above him, highlighted by the suns rays.

 _Something was wrong._

Not with his body, no. Lincoln knew the difference at this point — the difference between being ill and instinct.

 _(Or he could actually just be sick.)_

No, something in him was telling him to head back to his people now _(Trikru was no longer 'his people' to him, Kova and Octavia were)_ , before it's too late _(What does too late mean?')_ He took in a deep breath, his open hands bunching into fists, the dead foliage crumbling underneath him.

The sun was preparing to rest.

* * *

 **October 10, Year 2149  
?, Trikru Territory**

* * *

Reuniting Clarke and Finn was not part of Lincoln's plan, but apparently Anya had abducted them to save her second in command, Tris. That's what he caught wind of.

It's didn't end well, to say the least.

Sneaking into Anya's circle wasn't as difficult as he expected it to be. Finding them was child's work, the darkness exposing any camp with the fire and light they created.

It was late at night — or very early in the morning, depending on the type of person you are — when Lincoln slit the throat of a scout he worked with a few weeks ago. Vien was a young warrior, capable of rising through the ranks easily. He had three younger siblings, and both of his moms were very kind when they visited Vien at the training camp.

To Lincoln, he was in the way of him getting to Kova and Octavia.

Killing Vien was something he would have never imagined until now. Even though he was more than capable of taking him down, Lincoln's betrayal shocked him and became their downfall. After switching their clothes, all Lincoln did was drag him deep in the forest, throwing dead leafs and hiding him in the foliage. Any emotions Lincoln had were suppressed at dangerous times like this.

At this point, he'll give his all to get back to Kova and Octavia.

* * *

 **October 10, Year 2149  
Trikru Territory  
Senaah Forest, Delinquent's Campsite**

* * *

Drifting into consciousness, Kova cracked their eyes half open, heavy lidded and dried up. They could tell the ceiling above them was the dropship's but it was blurry. Was it from just waking up or an effect from the spray? They couldn't tell. The dull pain that blossomed in their head caused a groan to sneak past their lips. Their body ached to fall back asleep yet rushed with adrenaline had them come to the conclusion that something _wrong_ woke them up.

Head rolling to the side, Kova made eye contacts with a frozen Murphy in the middle of tying Jasper's hands up, a gun slinged around his body. The panic that struck their body at the sight of the weapon had them slip out of the hammock they were apparently lying in. The world tilted slightly and blackened at the edges, but Kova managed to stand their ground. "What's going on? What are you doing?"

Murphy stood up and swung the gun toward them. "Get over here or I'll shoot you." He threatened, the barrel at height with Kova's gut.

"Murph—"

They felt the energy of a bullet whipping by their arm and embed into the wall behind them. "Now!"

Immediately they raised their hands in surrender, sparing a glance to Jasper while Murphy tied their wrists together. He looked at what could have been a gag and instead used it as another tie, this time to a bracket shaped pole attached to the wall of the dropship. Just as Murphy finished tying them up, the radio rang with Bellamy's distressed voice. "Murphy, what was that?"

"Don't mind me, I just found a new toy to play with." His lips curled in a smirk. With his hands busy on the radio, Kova briefly wondered if this would be the best opportunity to attack. _'Definitely not. I can't tell what weapons I have on me, it would be too risky to try attack like this.'_ They thought as they saw a glint from behind some boxes on the table by their side. They tilted their head down to cover the similar smirk that appeared on their face.

 _'_ _I was wondering where they had put my weapons.'_

* * *

 **October 10, Year 2149  
Trikru Territory  
The Forbidden Passages**

* * *

Lincoln gave the two sky people privacy for a moment, playing with the horse's leash as his mind began to wander. The idea of Kova taking Octavia and running once the battle drums were audible came to mind, but time passes quickly under a lot of stress. The signal fire on the other side of the mountain was put out too soon.

"Anya knows you two aren't dead. We need to run. Let's go!" He shouted to Clarke and Finn after sending the horse in the opposite direction.

The entrance to the mines came into view. "Come on. It's right up here."

"What is?"

"Someplace they won't follow." _Someplace he wouldn't want to follow either._ Lincoln hopped over a few rocks to a rectangular opening. "Wait," Clarke paused in front of the entrance. "Where does it lead?"

"Everywhere and anywhere." Lincoln merely glanced at her while he kept an eye out in the forest. "There's a tunnel to your camp. If we make it through, we should get there before Tristan."

The sounds of hoofbeats against the ground had them on edge. Light began to emerge from the forest and get closer with every second they stood there. "Go. Go!"

The two naively ran into the passage without a glance back. The kyongedon on the other hand stood there frozen. Lincoln knew of the true horrors inside the caves — his parents victims — but he was stuck between a rock and a hard place.

He heard Anya's horse get closer. The rock was crushing him now.

He ran in just as the animal arrived. Anya dropped down from the horse with her bow, anger curling around her face. She shot the arrows into the dark, knowing one would eventually hit. "Lincoln!" She howled, her voice echoing in the cave.

Deep in the dark passages, flashes of light flickered from the stones Lincoln clacked together. The friction managed to set the torch he had on the floor ablaze, and the caves were finally mapped by the light. The three of them were sitting around the torch.

"You were right." There was surprise in Finn's tone. "They didn't follow us."

 _'_ _Of course I would be right,'_ Lincoln mentally rolled his eyes. _'Have I not lived on this Earth for—'_ "Reapers use these tunnels." His eyes were squinted to see deeper into the dark caves better. "Tristan wouldn't risk running into them."

"A reaper? What is that?"

"Pray you never find out." His voice and words were solemn. "We have to keep moving." The wall became Lincoln's main support as he stood up, the arrow in his side moving with every shift in his muscles.

"Lincoln, you were hit!"

"Hey, let me look at that."

An audible scoff passed his lips. "I've fought battles with worse wounds than this."

"We're not in a battle right now."

"Yes, we are."

The three of them paused, taking in his grave words. "You and Kova are different from the rest of your people, you're not as bloodthirsty as they are. Why are you helping us?" The sky leader couldn't help but ask after accepting his silent response. The knife was heated by the torch as she lifted the kyongedon's shirt up. "You might want something to bite down on."

"You people are so soft. If you don't learn to be more—" A low groan sounded in his throat from the pain of the arrow being taken out. "We're not different from the rest of Trikru." He finally spoke. "We're not the bloodthirsty savages that you think we are. We don't do anything without reason. We attacked you after you declared war on us, intentionally or not. Don't forget that your side was the one who ripped the peace meeting to shreds."

Clarke glanced guiltily between the heated blade and his face before pressing it into his wound.

* * *

 **October 10, Year 2149** **  
Trikru Territory  
Senaah Forest, Delinquent's Campsite**

* * *

 _'_ _A new toy?'_ Bellamy questioned in his mind as he tapped the antenna to his chin. "What does that mean, a new toy?" He asked to Wells and Miller beside him. Before the two could say anything, Octavia's voice popped up from behind them. "I just heard Murphy's locked himself in the dropship." Bellamy squeezed his eyes shut. He was hoping she wouldn't hear about it and try to pull something rash. "Yeah." He spoke, turning around. "South foxhole all done?"

"What?" A look of disbelief showed on her face. "Bellamy, two of my closest friends are in there with a killer."

"Didn't know you were close with Myles." He raised an eyebrow.

She deadpanned. "No, I'm talking about Kova! They're stuck in there with Jasper and Myles!"

The three boys looked at each other with wide eyes, but Bellamy caught his composure first. "Listen O, look around. No one's working. If the grounders attack us right now, we're all dead." Her brother murmured discreetly. "God, you're unbelievable." With a roll of her eyes, Octavia strode to the door of the dropship and bashed into it with her fist. "Murphy! Murphy, if you even touch Kova or Jasper, I swear to God, you're dead."

Bellamy mimicked his sister's attitude and licked his lips in frustration. "Octavia, I got this."

"Really?" The infamous 'Blake scowl' formed on her face. "Because it doesn't look like you're doing anything about it." Oblivious to their conversation, Raven came up to the Blake siblings with her hands in her pockets. "Bellamy, you were right. There's a loose panel in the back. If I can pop it, we can get in through the floor."

"Good, do it." As soon as he gave the go ahead, she waved to a group of people to head to the back of the dropship. "Sorry." Octavia said from beside him before leaving him to it. He took the opportunity to talk to Murphy through the radio. "Murphy, I know you can hear me. All our ammo and food is in the middle level. You know that. You're leaving us vulnerable to an attack. I can't let that happen."

The two hostages perked up slightly at the sound of Bellamy's voice, even if it was over the radio. "In case you haven't noticed, you're not exactly in control right now." Kova didn't know Murphy had actually killed someone until he covered Myles' dead body.

Bellamy's tongue poked at his cheek in frustration. "Come on, Murphy. You don't want to hurt Kova or Jasper. You want to hurt me."

Murphy turned to his two hostages. Judging by the look in his eyes, he was seriously considered Bellamy's option. Jasper trembled slightly in fear but never took his eyes off of Murphy. Kova on the other hand kept eye contact, their stare unwavering with fire behind their eyes.

"So what do you say? How about you trade them for me? All you have to do is let them go, and I'll take his place."

"How?"

"Simple. You open the door, I walk in, they walk out."

"That doesn't seem fair to me, you get two and I only get one? How 'bout a one for one. I'll even let you choose."

Bellamy was about to protest until he heard a different voice on the radio. "Just give them Jasper." Kova spoke. "I can handle it."

Everyone held their breath in silence until the door of the dropship creaked open. The gunners brought up their weapons in case Murphy tried to pull something. "Just you, Bellamy, unarmed. Jasper'll be out in a bit."

"Take this." Bellamy handed Miller the radio.

"10 seconds, or I'll put a bullet in either his or the grounder's leg. One…"

"...I'm here"

* * *

 **October 10, Year 2149  
Trikru Territory  
The Forbidden Passages**

* * *

Irritated bats flapped above them, finding refuge in the dark crevices of the cave. Lincoln was busy looking at the map while Finn held the torch. "Wait, if you were never down here, how'd you map it?"

The mines were built long ago, before the Foresakening happened, but the reapers were a new edition. They came not long after the Mountain Men first appeared in their hazmat suits. The Azgeda clan had detailed maps of the mines, and when they lost the war between the 11 clans they offered the map as tribute to join the coalition.

"Spoils of war." Lincoln responded without a glance.

In the distance, light spilled along the ground around the corner of the passage they were in. As the light grew, so did the shouting. "What's over there?" Clarke asked, pointing.

The two sky people didn't expect Lincoln to stop in his tracks, his eyes growing wide in fear. "Reapers." He growled out before quickly dumping the torch in nearby water. "If you want to get home before Tristan slaughters your people," He muttered lowly as the three made their way towards the intersection, concealing themselves around the corner. "that is the only way."

"Clarke. Look at the carts."

The wagons Finn gestured to were full of human bodies, naked, unmoving, dead and alive. "What the hell is this?"

"They're cannibals, to put it lightly. There's no time for a history lesson." Lincoln handed his book to the two of them. "The tunnel on the right will lead you through the woods into your camp. Take this."

"What are you gonna do?"

"I'm gonna lead them away. Wait until they follow me, then run." Lincoln paused before untying his sword from his belt and passed it to Finn as well. "If Kova is there, let them know this is for Octavia."

"Wait a second. If they catch you, they'll kill you." Clarke protested, grabbing his bicep to prevent him from leaving.

"I've been on worst missions." Not a complete lie. "Worry about yourselves. Most of Tristan's rangers will be at your gate by nightfall, but he'll send riders ahead, scouts. All of you have to be gone before they arrive."

"Where are we supposed to go?"

"In my book, there's a map. Chart course to the eastern sea. There's a clan there, led by a woman called Luna, a good friend of mine." He paused. "Tell Kova to lead you there. They'll know what to do."

"Thank you."

The kyongedon simply gave them a nod before stepping of the cover. One reaper had drawn too close. Lincoln swung around and stepped behind the reaper before snapping his neck with his hands.

The crack attracted the attention of the group of reapers around the fire.

For some reason, there was a strange pause of just staring at each other before the reapers finally stood and sprinted to Lincoln, swinging their weapons around. The passages were known as a messy maze, but there shouldn't be any dead ends to where he was running.

* * *

 **October 10, Year 2149** **  
Trikru Territory  
Senaah Forest, Delinquent's Campsite**

* * *

"Happy now?"

Seat belts from the dropship were connected to each other, forming a long rope that hung over an exposed pipe from the ceiling. At one end, it was tied around the ladder that led to the upper levels. On the other end, a noose was tied tightly around Bellamy's neck. The man stood on top of the stool, attempting to cover his fear. The seat belt rubbed against his neck, and he could feel the beginning of a rash.

Murphy teased with the rope, tugging it just to give Bellamy a fright. It worked. His hands shot up to the noose around his neck, fear sparking in his eyes. A muffled shout came from Kova, covered by the spare gag Murphy found lying around. Their jaw was slightly swollen from a punch they suffered for being too loud. All they wanted to do was grab their knife on the table and— No. Not yet.

"Shut up!" Murphy pointed the gun to Kova, who mimicked the action of shriveling up at the sight. Murphy swung back around to Bellamy and the kyongedon stood to their full height once more. They just needed to play along long enough until the opportunity came.

"You're so brave, aren't you? I mean, you came in here thinking you're just gonna turn this whole thing around, that you were stronger than me, and maybe one of your friends would come and help you, or maybe the savage here! Well, what are you thinking now, Bellamy? Hmm?!"

Wrapping the seat belt around his hands, Murphy hauled the rope down and forced Bellamy to stand on his toes just to barely breathe. "You know, I've got to hand it to you." His walk was calculated, a circle around the sky leader like a shark. "You got 'em all fooled. They actually look up to you, almost as much as they look up to Clarke. Yeah, well, we know the truth, don't we? You're a coward." Murphy stopped in front of him, his eyes dead with no remorse in them. "I learned that the day you kicked out the crate from beneath me. Isn't that what you said? That you were just giving the people what they wanted, right?"

"I should have stopped them." Bellamy's words were genuine, although Kova couldn't tell if it was because he was now suffering for his actions or if he truly meant it. Apparently, Murphy caught onto this as well. He faltered, the rope unraveling slightly in his hands. The hard look returned almost immediately. "Yeah, it's a little late for that now."

Bellamy's regret didn't last long either. "You think they're just gonna let you walk out of here?" He taunted, trying to buy some extra time for Raven and whoever else was below his feet.

"Well, I think the princess is dead and I know the king's about to die, so who's really gonna lead these people, huh? Me, that's who, and, yeah, maybe I'll have to kill your grounder-pounding little sister—"

The kick Bellamy snapped at him was enough to send him to the floor. _'Mentioning his sister was a sure fire way to get him to do something stupid.'_ To Kova's horror, Murphy threw his entire body onto the rope. Bellamy choked, tugging furiously on the noose to open his airway. Murphy practically beamed at the sight, laughing until a crackle and a small shriek sounded from below their feet, underneath the floor.

"Speaking of, I'm guessing that's her right now." Murphy smirked, swinging his gun downward and shooting through the metal ruthlessly.

"No!" Both Bellamy and Kova shouted, trying to yank out of their restrains. "Octavia!"

 _Click, click._


	15. tell me I'm alright, I ain't gonna die

TW: Violence, bit of blood, mention of death

based on 01x12

Title: Paramore - Hard Times

* * *

 **October 10, Year 2149** **  
Trikru Territory  
Senaah Forest, Delinquent's Campsite**

* * *

 _Click click._

 _Click click click!_

The gun is jammed? The gun is jammed! The gun was what gave Murphy is power over the two, but now that it's malfunctioning he had no control over the situation. Behind Murphy, the sound of metal clanging against a table rocked him to his core. He looked back only to see Kova knocking their leg into the table, a knife rattling closer to them. _'Perfect.'_ They grabbed hold of it and started sawing at the bounds on their wrist quickly. "Come on, come on!"

On the other side, Bellamy was trying to loosen the noose around his neck and take it off. Murphy's plan backfired severely, but he wasn't going down without a fight. Or without getting what he wanted from the very beginning, at the very least. Instead, choking sounds filled the room. He kicked the stool from underneath Bellamy, hoping his neck would snap under the pressure.

His legs dangled in an ugly way while his hands were clawing at the noose, trying to undo it, but Murphy smashed the butt of his gun into Bellamy's stomach. The sky leader's arms dangled beside him, out of energy and time to save himself. Murphy thought he would feel better about hanging Bellamy, to watch the life drain from his eyes as he choked to death and have the last thing he see before he died was his own winning grin, but the view of the sky leader's body swinging on the noose twisted his stomach severely. He felt nauseous like he was about to vomit any second now, but a hard punch to the jaw knocked the thoughts and feelings out of his head. He stumbled back, ready to retaliate the attack with his gun until a powerful kick to the stomach sent him tumbling to the floor by the ladder.

Facing the floor, he saw blood splatter from his mouth. He looked up to see Kova out of their bounds, knife in hand. "Bell!" To his surprise, the kyongedon didn't try to attack him again. They were busy trying to save Bellamy by wrapping their arms around his legs and lifting him up to give him a chance to breathe. Murphy took the opportunity to flee and crawled up the ladder.

 _'_ _I only have one knife.'_ Their eyes followed the boy climbing the ladder. _'If I use it on Murphy, I won't be able to get Bellamy down. If I use it on Bellamy, Murphy…'_ They recalled the time they saved Lincoln and scoffed, flipping the knife in a better position to use. _'There's no exit up there. He can't escape.'_ There was no opening to get out of that room. Without another thought, Kova swung the sharp toothed edge of the knife and slashed hastily above the noose. Bellamy would have flopped to the floor if they hadn't caught him in time, one hand on his lower back and the other cradling his head. They set him down as easily as they could on his left side so he could breathe.

The clanks of the dropship door opening had Kova sighing in relief. Jasper and Octavia were the first to come in, guns up hot and ready, but they quickly dropped them when they saw Kova sitting on the floor with Bellamy. Monty, Harper, and Wells followed quickly after them. "What happened?"

"Murphy forced him to hang himself." Bellamy began to cough harshly while trying to inhale as much air as he possibly could. "Murphy!" He bellowed, his voice hoarse as he stood up. "Murphy, it's over!"

"Bellamy, wait!"

All the blood must have rushed to his ears, since it seemed like he didn't hear them. Bellamy climbed the ladder and slammed his shoulder and arm into the hatch. "Murphy, open up! There's only one way out of this for you now!" A clanging noise told them Murphy used something to prevent the hatch from opening. While Bellamy continued, Kova turned to the others. "Hey, if you're up here then who's down there?" They asked, pointing to the floor below them.

"Raven, why?"

Kova's eyes widened. "Murphy shot through the floor. Monty, can you get some people to go down there and make sure she's okay?"

"Yeah. Wells, Harper, let's go find Raven!"

Just as Monty ran off, Murphy's voice sounded in the distance. "You wanna bet?"

A large explosion came from upstairs. "Fuck," Jasper cursed under his breath. "That must have been our gunpowder."

The hatch flew open from Bellamy's administrations. Whatever was blocking the hatch was knocked away from the force of the explosion. "Murphy!" Bellamy bellowed through the smoke, rushing toward the light from the opening Murphy created. "Well, the guy knows how to make an exit." Jasper said just as he and Kova reached the hole. The knife was still in Kova's hand. "Should we go after him?" He asked just as the boy in question began to run to the forest.

"No. The grounders will take care of him." Bellamy responded, bringing a hand to rub his throat.

"Then let me be the first." Kova snapped, throwing the knife to Murphy's spine.

"No!" Bellamy smacked their hand just before they let go. The knife's trajectory was off balance and instead embedded into Murphy's shoulder blade. He stumbled into the ground, put quickly picked himself up and continued his way.

"Why did you stop me?!"

"We don't have time for Murphy." He turned his attention to Jasper. "We're going after Clarke and Finn. You and Raven were right. We don't abandon our own. Two guns... you and me. That's it. Raven stays here to build up defenses. We lost a day because of this, and our gunpowder."

Despite his words, Kova couldn't take the vision of him hanging by a noose out of their head. They chose not to comment and looked back at the hole in the wall.

"Bellamy, wait. Look, I just…" Jasper hugged Bellamy tightly. He couldn't get the idea of Bellamy dying out of his head either, especially after what he saw today. "Thank you. Long way from 'whatever the hell you want.'"

A slightly embarrassed smile formed on Bellamy's face, but Miller's voice from the walkie talkie interrupted. "All gunners! We got movement outside the south wall!"

Harper's voice came next. "We also need a stretcher down under the dropship, Raven's been shot in the hip, she can't move." The three looked at each other in surprise. Kova took the walkie before Bellamy and Jasper headed downstairs. "Harper, take her to the dropship. I'll take care of her from there."

* * *

 **October 10, Year 2149  
Trikru Territory  
The Forbidden Passages**

* * *

After what felt like hours of running, Lincoln managed to escape the Reapers' sights for just a moment. He hid within a small space in the wall of the dark passages, a small light kept in his hands ready to be extinguished in case the Reapers came back. He wished he had kept another map of the mines on him, but there was no time for regrets at the moment with cannibals at his heels.

God, all the memories were forcing their way back to Lincoln's mind.

No one knew how the Reapers became who they are today, but from the tattoos of the dead said they came from all clans and somehow turned up like that. Some suspected it was related to the Mountain Men kidnapping, but the investigation was ongoing. Because of this, all kyongedons were told of the Reapers from an early age in order to keep the children away from the mines.

Not all of them kept away.

His mother, Rosalin, was very vivid in his memories despite losing her at a young age. She had soft and kind eyes, perfect for a caretaker of animals. Her hands were calloused from the required warrior training she had to tackle when she was younger, but the experience never drained the light from her eyes. She gave him and his father strength to be strong and sturdy in their beliefs. Rosalin was also the one who gave him his trait of curiosity — the trait that would soon be her demise. One day, after chasing a loose animal she strayed too close to the mines. Her disappearance and later officialized death sent Lincoln's father spiraling down the drain, along with his relation with Lincoln.

Years later his father Cet, in his desperation to find his wife, also went into the mines.

He never came back out.

Lincoln by then was already his own person, with his own house and friends and newfound family. For a while he had resented his father for not trying to fix their relationship after his mother's death, but in the end forgave and let him go.

But he did recluse himself slightly after Cet's death.

The idea that his mother and father might be around here made him shudder in fear. Heavy footsteps grew louder and made Lincoln perk up his head.

It was time to run again.

* * *

 **October 10, Year 2149  
Trikru Territory  
Senaah Forest, Delinquent's Campsite**

* * *

"Clarke and Finn! They're back!"

The delinquents all but rushed to haul the gate open to let the two sky people in.

"Hey, we heard an explosion. What happened?"

"Murphy happened." Bellamy responded just as Jasper hugged Clarke tightly. Kova and Octavia stood close by each other, to Bellamy's annoyance. "Thank god you're okay."

"Listen, we don't have time. We need to leave, now. All of us do. There's an army of grounders, unlike anything we've ever seen, coming for us right now. We need to pack what we can and run." Finn's words were rushed, but comprehensible.

"Like hell we do." Bellamy was already against the idea. "We knew this was coming."

"Bell, we're not prepared." Octavia protested.

"And they're not here yet. We still have time to get ready. Besides, where would we go? Where would we be safer than behind these walls?"

"There's an ocean to the east. People there will help us."

"How do you know about that?" Octavia asked suspiciously, crossing their arms.

"You saw Lincoln." It wasn't a question. Kova's furrowed eyebrows accentuated their worried face.

Finn nodded slowly, worried about the reaction he would get.

"This is our home now!" Bellamy's outburst brought everyone's attention to him. "We built this from nothing with our bare hands! Our dead are buried behind that wall in this ground! Our ground!" He began to speak to the other delinquents, who were listening to the conversation. "The grounders think they can take that away. They think that because we came from the sky, we don't belong here. But they're yet to realize one very important fact: We are on the ground now, and that means we are grounders!"

"Yeah! Grounders with guns!"

"Damn right! I say—"

"How many times do I have to say this?" Kova's strong voice interrupted his speech. They placed a hand on his shoulder and pulled him away from the spotlight. "This **ISN'T** your ground!" Surprisingly, the delinquents who were hyped up from Bellamy's words grew quiet. "You all came here, uninvited, attacked Trikru, and stole their land. That's why they're starting this war! Trikru was willing to have a peaceful conversation to form a solution, and yet you all betrayed them!"

Jasper looked down guiltily.

"However, you all aren't to blame either." They felt their body heat up from all the attention they gathered but continued nonetheless, their voice softer now. "You're all inexperienced, naive," a glance to Finn and Jasper. "sent by adults to do their bidding. Yet many of you are mature, and understand what you've done wrong." another look to Wells. "Trikru should have been more understanding that you all have no idea what you're doing." They took a deep breath. "Regardless, if you choose to stay here and fight, most of you will die. You all cannot compare to warriors who have trained for decades," Someone in the crowd was about to protest, but Kova cut them off. " **With,** or without your guns."

"Kova's right." Clarke backed them up, Wells following behind. "If we stay here, we'll die by tonight. We need to pack, just take what you can carry. Now!"

The delinquents murmured under their breath, but did as they were told and rushed off to grab their things.

"Clarke I must admit, I'm not sure Floukru will accept us." Kova said in a low voice, only letting the sky leader and Wells listen in.

She pinched the bridge between her nose. "I know, but this is the best plan we have so far. Let's roll with it for now."

"Alright. Also, Raven is in the dropship. She was shot in the hip, according the Harper."

"God, what happened here?" Wells asked, a look of horror on his face.

"A lot." They were distracted when they saw Octavia make a beeline to Finn. "Excuse me."

They patted both of their shoulders before heading toward the other two sky people. "Where is he?" They heard Octavia ask, referring to Lincoln. Kova popped in, waiting for his answer. Finn reached behind him and unclipped the sheathed sword from his belt, holding it out to Kova. "He said to tell you it was for Octavia, and that you would know what to do with it."

Shaky fingers clasped around the covering as they took the sword. They almost dropped it. "When was the last time you saw him?" Their voice wavered, eyes wide.

"The mines. There were cannibals in—"

"After everything he's done for you, you just left him there to die?!" Their shout attracted everyone's attention. "Kova, what do you mean?" Octavia asked, tears beginning to form in her eyes. "Is he… dead?"

"I… I don't know." Their eyes were full of fear and anxiety, but no tears came as they handed the sword to Octavia. They tried their hardest to not let it bother them, but it was difficult seeing the sword in their brother's partner's hands. The motion was a way of informing loved ones that the sword's owner died.

"I have to go help Clarke." They muttered, turning around and walking away.

"Kova, wait! Come back!"


	16. I'm young, and a menace

TW: talk of violence, weapons

Based on 01x13

Title: Fall Out Boy - Young and Menace

* * *

 **October 10, Year 2149  
Trikru Territory  
Senaah Forest, Delinquent's Campsite**

* * *

Raven's heavy pants and quiet curses filled the room as Clarke took the heated blade off of Raven's bullet wound. Raven stayed on the table, shirt up, tears in her eyes from the brief but sharp pain.

"I don't understand." Finn was sitting next to Raven holding her hand tight. "How did Murphy get a gun?"

Bellamy and Kova brought their heads up at the same time. Although the two stood at opposite ends of the table, it didn't go unnoticed to the people in the room that they had the same body language — arms crossed, leaning slightly towards one leg. The two eyed each other briefly, as if debating on how to answer before they turned back to Finn. "It's a long story."

"Either way we got lucky." Raven cut in, sweat beading on her forehead. "If Murphy hit the fuel tank instead of me, we'd all be dead."

"That's not being lucky, Raven." Kova's voice was stern but laced with worry for their friend. "You got shot!"

"Wait," Clarke perked up at the idea of a potential weapon and leaned in. "There's rocket fuel down there? Enough to build a bomb?"

God, that was so typical of her. "Enough to build 100 bombs, if we had any gunpowder left." Raven said.

The way the sky leader visibly deflated almost had Kova laughing until Bellamy's voice cut through the air. "Let's get back to the Reapers." Lincoln's book in his hand was opened to the drawing of a Reaper. "Maybe they can help us. The enemy of my enemy is my friend, right?"

The warrior's bottom lip was between their teeth as they pushed the book down and away from their sight. The idea of Lincoln being close to those… creatures… made them sick to their stomach. "Definitely not."

"Not this enemy." Clarke backed up, shaking her head. "It's not an option." It was obvious Bellamy was looking for an argument to stay and fight. It got on Finn's nerves, the amount of audacity the male leader had. "We don't have time for this." He snapped, his patience dropping. "Can Raven walk?"

"No, we'll have to carry her."

"The hell you will!" The mechanic in question pushed herself up to her elbows, squeezing her eyes and grunting in pain. She wasn't helpless, she could manage just fine on her own, thank you very much! But the hand on her shoulder, gently yet firmly pushing her back to the table, told her otherwise.

"Raven, there's no way you can walk like this." Kova's voice was calming, but Raven was ready to argue until Clarke cut in. "They're right. That bullet is still inside you. If by some miracle there's no internal bleeding, it might hold until we get somewhere safe. But you are not walking there. Is that clear?" The two held their stance against Raven. She had no choice but to yield with a nod of her head. "I'll get the stretcher." Finn spoke, standing up.

For god knows what reason, Bellamy decided this was the perfect opportunity to open his mouth, his arms crossed in front of him. "You just can't run away fast enough, huh? Real brave of you."

"Dying in a fight you can't win isn't brave, Bellamy, it's stupid!" Finn stepped forward, ready for the challenge.

"Spoken like every coward who's ever run from a fight." Bellamy walked around Raven's bed, but couldn't get closer. Kova stood between the two, hands held out. "Hey!" Their outburst stopped all of them in their tracks. "We're not doing this right now, we don't have the time. Put your dicks away and try to come up with a better solution, if you really don't like this." The last part was aimed towards Bellamy more, but still applied to the both of them. Kova was definitely not dealing with this bullshit while war was beating its drums at the front door.

"We're wasting time." Finn scoffed, rushing a hand through his hair while walking to the dropship door. "If he wants to stay, he can stay." He muttered loud enough for Clarke to hear before leaving.

"No, he can't!" She yelled after him, but he didn't bother to stay or listen. The sky leader swiveled around to Bellamy, eyebrows scrunched together. "We can't do this without you, Bellamy."

"What do you want me to say, Clarke?" He asked, his tongue poking in his cheek. To say he was annoying was an understatement.

"I want you to say that you're with us. Those kids out there, they listen to you."

"They're lining up to go. They listen to you more."

"I gave them an easy choice. But 5 minutes ago, they were willing to fight and die for you. You inspire them. I'm afraid we're gonna need that again before this day is through."

"Clarke, I know this isn't the best timing." Kova spoke, their hand on Raven's shoulder. "But I have to say I agree with Bellamy." The two of them were caught off guard. _Kova? Agreeing with Bellamy?_ "Don't look at me like that, this is the only time Bellamy has ever made a good point in my opinion." Their eyes narrowed playfully. "I don't think Floukru is the best idea, I highly doubt they'll take us in. We might end up being sitting ducks out there."

A deep sigh released past Clarke's lips. "It's the best plan we have for now. If things go wrong…" She glanced between the two before turning her back. There were other things that needed to be done. "We'll make shit up as we go." Clarke left without another word. Just as Bellamy was about to follow her footsteps, Kova's voice interrupted him. "Bellamy." He turned his head toward them. "I'm gonna need my weapons back." They had a hand on their hip with a playful eyebrow quirked up. "You know, to fight."

He rolled his eyes in annoyance and gestured with his hand to follow him. The two walked in silence to what Kova considered as the 'meeting tent.' As the name suggested, they were surprised that Bellamy would leave their weapons here. _'But then again, leaving it in the armory wouldn't have been smart.'_ He entered the tent, holding the flap for Kova and then pointed to a pile behind the table. They counted four small knives and checked on their sword if it was in need of polishing.

"I had five knives, y'know." They spoke as they began sheathing the weapons in the proper holsters. They held one of the knives in their hand. "But now I have four, since Murphy took one with him." A light laugh passed their lips as they flipped the knife and stuck it into its holster. "That's probably going to backfire on me eventually, won't it."

"Thank you."

Kova whipped their head toward him, eyebrows up and eyes wide with shock. As he leaned against the pole with his arms crossed, just slightly angled slightly away from them, the kyongedon realized how easy it was to read his body language. They already knew Bellamy spoke more with actions than words and was generally a quiet person, but his actions were practically words themselves. His eyes darkening or twitching, crossing his arms, or a hand on his waist all had different meanings at different times. Either he didn't thank people often, or...maybe he was more accepting of them?

"I didn't get to say that earlier." He continued, his gaze strictly focused on the wall of the tent. "But thank you for helping me back there." Kova's eyes flickered from his eyes to his neck, where the red irritation contrasted against his tan skin. The corner of their lips quirked up. "Anytime."

* * *

 **October 10, Year 2149  
Trikru Territory  
Senaah Forest, Outside the Delinquent's Campsite**

* * *

The gates and walls were the sky people's barriers from the grounders. Tall, wooden, strong against an attack, and most importantly, _safe_. All the sky people stood at the gate, ready to start the 120 mile trek. There was no sky person who didn't feel sick to their stomach.

"Alright, here we go!" A sky boy shouted as Miller and another sky person hauled open the gates. Just as they had when they first opened the dropship to Earth, they all froze before the gates. The first group to step out were some gunners, who kept the group safe and led the way. Among them were Octavia and Jasper, weapons hot and ready. Kova was there as well, the controversial Emerald Boa's mask over their face and their hand ready to pull out their sword on instinct. The armor surprisingly wasn't as heavy as they expected it would be even though they hadn't worn it in a while. "Keep your eyes in front and in the trees!" Kova warned to the other fighters. "They can come from anywhere."

In the middle were the injured and the sick, being carried out on stretchers or leaning against another person so they weren't left behind. On the sides were more gunners, and in the back the sky leaders watched everything around the group.

"You know the first thing I'm gonna do when we get to the beach?" The cheeky grin on Miller was almost contagious. "No. What?" Drew was hesitant to ask.

"I want to go surfing." His response earned light hearted laughs from the surrounding group. "No more woods. A view of the ocean. No more damn trees, just pale, blue water."

"The ocean truly is beautiful." Kova added, a wistful look in their eyes. "Since human pollution stopped, Floukru and surrounding clans have been cleanin—" They stopped walking and held their arms out, preventing the others from continuing.

"What? What is it?"

"Why are we stopping?"

"I don't see or hear anything."

"That's the problem." Kova muttered, their eyes analyzing the woods around them. The silence was too overbearing to be normal. Where were the animals? The insects? Nothing about the scene looked right to them. "Someone's here."

A whipping sound from deep within the forest caught all of their attention. A strange shape rapidly grew in size the closer it came toward the large group. None of them reacted in time except for Kova, who recognized the figure almost immediately and unsheathed the sword while stepping in front of Drew and Miller. They angled the sword just in time to catch the shuriken-like weapon between its grooves, but the strength behind the throw was too strong. By twisting their wrist, Kova was able to send the weapon in a different direction. The weapon embedded itself deeply into a tree with a loud _thunk!_

Drew and Miller's eyes flickered between each other and the circular weapon, then to Kova in shock. Judging from how sharp and how deep it was in the tree, it would have sliced Drew's head off. Gasps filled the air when the other delinquents took in what happened, and Drew almost passed out in fear. "Grounders!"

While the delinquents began to sprint back to the camp, Kova brushed by Octavia and tugged the weapon from the tree. They threw it up in the air and skillfully caught it between their finger and thumb, the movement smooth as if it had been done thousands of times before. Kova pulled their arm back sideways and threw it like a disk in the direction it came from with all the force they had in them.

"Kova, what—?!"

They held up a hand to silence her for a moment, the two of them staring into the dense woods. It took a moment, but in the distance a loud _thud!_ was heard. Octavia was surprised she didn't get whiplash from how fast they snapped their head to look at Kova. She had never seen that look on their before — the corner of Kova's lips were pulled up in a smirk, full of arrogance and hubris. "Bullseye."

* * *

 **October 10, Year 2149  
Trikru Territory  
Senaah Forest, Delinquent's Campsite**

* * *

The mob of delinquents rampaged past the walls of the campsite. Clarke stood to the side of the gate making sure everyone made it inside while Bellamy ran up the wall and scoped out the forest through his gun.

"Shut the gate!" Monty was louder than panicked shouts as he helped carry Raven into the dropship.

The rustling behind him didn't worry Bellamy. "Where are they?" He asked without seeing who it was. "Why aren't they attacking?"

"Because they didn't follow us." He brought his head up at the sound of Kova's voice. They had their arm against the post of the wall, peeking through the speared tops of the barrier and into the trees. Clarke was also on their level, eyebrows furrowed in confusion. A look of realization suddenly appeared on her face. "It's because we're doing exactly what they wanted us to do."

"If it's just scouts, we can fight our way out. That's what Lincoln would do." His sister's voice made him turn around in surprise. It was strange to see Octavia with a sword similar to Kova's, but he highly doubted anything he said could get her away from it.

"It's…really not." Apparently, Kova wanted it away from her as much as he did. Their eyes flickered between the girl and the weapon in her hand, mixed emotions in their face. "Also, there's a reason why he said scouts with an 's.' There has to be at least twenty surrounding us right now."

"At least nineteen now, you mean." Octavia butted in as the three of them jumped down from the wall.

"What do you mean?" Finn asked, looking between the two with his eyebrow raised.

Kova was about to speak but Octavia beat them to the chase. "You didn't see? Kova took the weapon from the tree and just—" She mimicked the action of throwing the weapon. "Bam! Knocked the guy out of the tree. I bet they're dead now."

The entire group looked at Kova with… there were too many emotions to point out just one. Shock? Disgust? Contempt? _'Whatever.'_ Kova ignored the thick lump in their throat. "It wasn't difficult, I had to go through scout training too, as much as I hated it."

"Anyways, we're looking to you princess." Kova never thought they would actually thankful to Bellamy as he changed gears, taking the attention away from them. "What's it gonna be? Run and get picked off out in the open, or stand and fight back?"

"Clarke. If we're still here when Tristan gets here…"

 _That_ name had Kova physically recoil, twisting their face in disgust."What did you just say? _Tristan_ is here?"The way the kyongedon lashed out his name with anger surprised everyone. _'There was too much going on, too much happening at once.'_ "Since when was _he_ leading this?"

"He said someone named Lexa has given Anya's squad to him last night." Clarke answered, an eyebrow raised. "Why, does it make a difference?"

"A difference? _A difference?!"_ Kova let out a scoff of disbelief. "Gods, maybe we should have gone with Lincoln." They muttered under their breath loud enough for Octavia to hear. "Listen up." They addressed Clarke and Bellamy, who straightened up slightly. "I'll repeat this as many times as you need me to. Tristan needs to be killed first."

 _'Is this selfish of me?'_

"Why's that?" Bellamy asked, fists on his hips.

"He won't just kill us," Kova said. "He'll torture us for information. Way worse than what you did to my brother and what they did to Murphy."

 _'It's not a lie.'_

Their voice became sharp, cold, straightforward. "You want to make it out alive?"

 _'If I don't do this,'_

"Kill him."

 _'I'll die.'_

"The squadron will have to fall back for further orders from Anya. It's not a lot of time, but enough to hold them off."

The group switched their attention to Clarke. She released a heavy sigh. "Sounds like a plan. Bellamy, it looks like you got your fight."

"Clarke?!" Finn and Wells were surprised. "You sure about this? After what Kova just said?"

"After what Kova said, it sounds like we have no other choice." She said quietly as Bellamy addressed the delinquents.

"This is what we've been preparing for. Kill them before they kill us. Gunners, to your posts. Use the tunnels to get in and out. From now on, the gate stays closed." He turned back to the small group. "So, how the hell do we do this?"


	17. the valley will swallow me up whole

TW: Blood, injury

Based on 01x13

Title: Fall Out Boy - Novacaine

* * *

 **October 10, Year 2149  
Trikru Territory  
Senaah Forest, Delinquent's Campsite**

* * *

Whenever Monty was working on a project — personal or otherwise — he always needed noise. A lot of people assume quiet spaces would be better, but because there were no windows to open on the Ark there would always be a certain ringing in his ears that wouldn't stop unless the vents were on full blast or his room door was open. Therefore people being loud around him usually gave him more concentration and motivation to finish said project.

This time, it was doing the opposite. He was in the back of the dropship, fixing the radios that had bugs or were reportedly having interference. Meanwhile Clarke, Bellamy, Finn, Raven, Wells, and Kova stood around a circular table with a 3D diagram of the camp. They kept arguing over the plan and backup plans, and it was getting _very_ annoying.

"I'll make sure to get our food and people in the dropship." Wells offered, raising a hand.

"The grenades will keep them out, we'll just have to pray." Bellamy spoke.

"Pray what? That the ship keeps them out?" Clarke smacked her hand against the table. "Because it won't—"

"Can you all just!" Monty stood up quickly, the chair's legs groaning against the floor loudly. Everyone stopped arguing and their heads snapped to him. "Can you all, _please_ ," he emphasized, "make up your minds and stop arguing already. I'm trying to fix the radios and you're all distracting me."

"He's right, we need one solid plan. We'll just have to make sure they don't get through the gates." Bellamy spoke, whipping out his walkie talkie before anyone else could speak. "All foxholes, listen up. Keep your eyes and ears open. Inflict casualties, as many as possible. You can hold them off long enough to make them turn back. That's the plan."

His jaw clenched at the sound of Kova's scoff. He faced the kyongedon, who had their arms crossed and hip cocked out. "This really won't go through your head, huh? You need some sort of backup plan! If something goes wrong, you need to get everyone to a rendezvous point."

"And I already said, we don't need that if we can keep the grounders out of these walls."

"It can't be that simple." Clarke murmured, turning to Raven. "You said there's fuel in those rockets, right? Enough to build 100 bombs?

"I also said we've got no gunpowder left." Raven replied coolly.

"I don't want to build a bomb. I want to blast off. Bring the warriors in close."

"Fire the rockets." Raven finished for her. "A ring of fire."

"Barbecued grounders. I like it." Bellamy said.

"Will it work?"

"The wiring is a mess down there, but yeah. You give me enough time, I'll cook them real good."

"How close should they be?" Kova asked, heading back to the map.

"Within the wall should be close enough." Raven said.

"So if anyone is stuck outside when we close the dropship—"

"That won't happen." Bellamy interrupted.

"We don't know that!" Kova's outburst shut everyone up, (thankfully) including Bellamy. "Anyways, if anyone left behind goes out past the wall, they won't get cooked alive?"

"Yeah, they should be fine."

"Planning to abandon us so soon?" A sneer appeared on Bellamy's face. "What a shock."

"You know what Bellamy—?"

"Enough!" The others shouted, stunning the two into silence.

* * *

The delinquents were spread out everywhere and anywhere. First shift gunners were at their posts alert and gun ready, while the second shift gunners were dozing off close by in case of an early shift switch. The non-gunners and other shift takers were under Wells' orders to bring food, water, and other materials into the dropship in case the gunners needed to use their backup plan. Faint drumming in the distance caught everyone's attention. As if Trikru was slowly sneaking up on them, the rhythm loomed over their heads and raised the anxiety levels of the group.

"They're here!"

In one station Kova, Bellamy, Miller, and Monroe were hidden behind the wall. The sky people had loaded guns but no extra ammo. Kova on the other hand had one (1) poorly made spear standing against the wall along with their other weapons. They were prepared for both long and short distance fighting. "Where's Octavia?" Bellamy asked while looking through his gun.

"She left 5 minutes ago. Didn't say where to. She thinks she's a damn samurai." Miller's response earned a snort from Kova. The corner of his lips upturned. "You guys see anything?"

"No." Monroe grunted impatiently, her voice laced with anxiety. "What the hell are they waiting for?"

"The longer they wait, the better. This is about buying time for Raven."

"The warriors are using your anxiety to their advantage." Kova told her, eyes on the forest line. "The more nervous you are, the higher the chances of you messing up. Don't let them do that, or they'll win."

Static came from the walkie talkie on Bellamy's hip until a boy's voice came through. "I see them, they're moving! I count two, no, wait, there's more. I don't know, man! There's too many of them!" His voice grew shaky as gunfire sounded and interrupted the message. "Who was that?" Bellamy asked, turning by the waist to grab the radio.

"Sterling, I think. South foxhole."

"South foxhole, report now."

It took a moment for Sterling to respond. "Yeah, we're ok. They didn't attack. It's like... it's like shooting at ghosts."

Everyone's eyes snapped to the movement in the forest. "There! I see them!" Monroe pointed to the warriors sprinting side by side. She and Miller began to shoot aimlessly into the dark, following the shadows running around.

"Stop! Hold your fire!"

 _Click, click._

"Reload."

"We're all out. Those were our last clips."

* * *

"Do you see it or not?" Usually Raven's temper was manageable, but when there's a bullet making its way through her hip and into her spine it was hard for her to think about anything straight. It was even worse that she has someone who doesn't know anything about wiring do her work for her, but Clarke offered assistance and she can't exactly head down there herself.

"No, it's a mess down here."

"It'll be orange. Look harder! You have to find the that connects the manual override to the electromagnet. It's not rocket science."

There was a silent pause. "It _is_ rocket science, actually."

"God…" Raven put down the equipment she held, squeezing her eyes in annoyance and pain. She took a deep breath. "I guess we finally found something you're not good at." The only time she ever revealed her feelings about Clarke (and Finn) was with Kova, but she's vulnerable and tired and everything _burned_ in her body. "I used to be picked first for everything, y'know. Earth skills, zero-g mech course. First... every time. So, how the hell did I end up here?"

Another silent pause. "Raven?"

"Mmn?"

"I'd pick you first."

That wasn't what she expected. A small smile formed on her lips. It was nice to have a confidence boost every once in a while. "Of course you would." She said while focusing on the device in her hands. "I'm awesome."

"Hey, I found the orange wire!"

"About time!" Raven grinned. Maybe this plan will work after all! "Follow the wire to the override panel, then—"

"Wait, Raven? It's fried. Totally useless." The mechanic heard the wire drop to the metal floor. "Tell me this isn't as bad as I think."

"Let's see. Monty!" The boy in question was somewhere off to her right but didn't respond. Raven took a small piece of trash and threw it vaguely at Monty's direction in the other room. It bounced off the table he was working at and almost hit him in the eye. "Raven, what the hell?"

"Listen, do you know how to splice?"

"How to what?"

"Splice!"

She heard a scoff. "Do i know how to splice? Of course."

"Clarke, it's not as bad as you think! Monty, get over here! "

* * *

"We should… We should fall back." Monroe muttered, her eyes following the warriors running back and forth. To just shoot them down was tempting, but she knew it wouldn't work. There were too many of them — or at least that's what it seemed like.

"No. If this position falls, they'll walk right to the front door." Bellamy kept the gun up and ready.

"Bellamy, pass me the radio."

"What?" Kova's question threw him off. He turned to look at them for a moment before returning to his original position. "No way. You'll just—"

 _God_ , they were tired of his shit. The accusations, the side glances, everything. "Bellamy!" Miller and Monroe jumped in fright from Kova's sudden shout. "I've trained with Trikru warriors for almost two decades. I know all their tactics, their weapons, their styles of fighting, and right now they're running around so you'll waste all your ammo and you'll be defenseless when they actually do attack." The kyongedon made sure to keep eye contact with the leader, unbreaking, honest, and as open as possible. "You need to tell the other sections about it now, but I can't relay the message to you every time I need to say something. Haven't I proven myself enough?!"

Their unexpected outbreak caught him off guard. He opened his mouth to speak but Miller beat him to the chase. "They're right Bellamy." The leader in question turned around to his friend. "If we're in the middle of an attack, they can warn the other sections while we attack." Surprisingly, Monroe nodded her head in agreement. A deep sigh passed his lips, his body slouching with the action. He begrudgingly handed over the radio. "You know how to work it?"

"Of course, these things are ancient tech." Kova took it and placed a hand on his shoulder before he could turn back. "Thank you." They murmured softly before turning back to their position and opened up communications, unaware of the softer look Bellamy sent their way. "Everyone it's Kova, listen up! Trikru is using a tactic to waste your ammo. Don't fire when they're running laterally! Repeat, do not fire until they attack head on."

"Copy that!"

"Copy."

As Kova explained how to tell when the warriors were going to attack and when was the right time to shoot, their voice carried over to a forgotten walkie talkie. Tristan walked by the side of a tree and pulled out a knife, suddenly plunging it into a delinquent's leg. Murphy cried out, the stab wound burning with the venom of fire ants. He wanted to curl up, but his legs were bound to an uproot. Tears rolled down his reddening face as he shouted incomprehensible words. "That's for not telling us about the minefield." Tristan told him as he pulled out the knife and studied its engravings. "And for not telling us about the traitor."

"What do we do now?" Anya spoke behind him, her face covered in war paint.

"Now?" He looked to the light coming from in between the trees. "Now we attack."

* * *

The warriors stopped running side by side, and the hair on Kova's arms sprang up. It was the quiet before a storm. "Everyone get ready, they're going to attack—"

"Fall back!" Just as the hoard of Trikru warriors sprinted out of the forest line, Monroe and a few others ran away from their posts. In all their life, Kova had only seen civilians run away from a fight, not supposed fighters like them. They were too shocked to say anything until gunshots from behind brought them back into action. Miller and Bellamy continued shooting until Bellamy was tackled, but just as Miller was about to help he was attacked as well.

"Bellamy! Miller!" Kova dropped the radio and pulled out their sword just in time to block another warrior's sword. The similar metals clashed together briefly but in that time the other warrior managed to get a word out that terrified Kova. "Traitor!" The Trikru member shouted as Kova knocked him back with their strength. Although they were shaken up, Kova still had enough willpower in them to slide the weapon through the other warrior's chest. Just as they pulled their sword out, an arrow whizzed by and glistened in the moonlight.

"No!"

They turned around quickly to see why Bellamy shouted only to see him trying to hold his sister up, an arrow embedded in her leg. Kova stepped forward, ready to run them, but another arrow flew just past their face and into the tree next to them. They growled under their breaths and bent down, taking an abandoned spear from the ground and balancing it in their hands before launching it where the arrow came from. A thud and the sound of a body hitting the ground allowed them to head over to the siblings safety.

"Miller, fall back! Can you walk?" Bellamy asked his sister. She was disoriented from the pain and could barely nod her head. She seemed way too out of it. "O? O?!"

Kova sheathed their sword and took one of Octavia's arm, pulling it over their shoulder. "Hey, let's get her behind that wall, yeah?" They told Bellamy who responded with a nod.

* * *

 **October 10, Year 2149** **  
Trikru Territory  
Just Outside of Tondc, Lincoln's Home**

* * *

If the coagulant could save Raven's life, then Finn was willing to kill himself to find more of it. Even if it means heading into dangerous territory. He had no idea how he got past the fight or through the eyes in the trees undetected, but there he was, standing in the middle of Lincoln's home, looking around for any hint of medicine or potions.

He hurried over to a table, rummaging through the papers and equipment until he saw a glint at the corner of his eyes. He turned around quickly, pulling out a sharp object from the table but he lowered his arm when he recognized who it was. "Lincoln! You're alive!"

"I told you to leave." His voice was low and angry, a tone Finn wasn't expecting.

"We tried." Finn spoke. "The scouts were already there."

 _"_ _I see them. I saw... no, stand your gr... if they take the gate, we're all dead."_ The two snapped their heads to the voice coming from Finn's hip. "A radio?" Lincoln's eyebrows shot up. "Can't believe you actually got them to work. Why aren't you there?"

"Raven was shot. We need medicine to slow the bleeding."

"You came to save one life?!" _'By the Gods, Kova was right. They have no idea what they're doing.'_

"I don't have time to explain, but we need it. Do you have the medicine or not?"

"I have it." He muttered, walking to one of his shelves and pulling out a bottle full of a dark red liquid. Lincoln almost dropped the bottle at the sound of Kova's voice on the radio. _"don't waste your bul… let them come to you."_ He waited for more, but no other instructions came. He never thought about how much he missed hearing their voice. "I'm going with you. Let's go."

"Oh, okay." Finn would say he was surprised, but not after seeing Lincoln's reaction to Kova on the radio. The two began to head out until Finn tripped over pages on the floor. He grunted in pain from his knee hitting the floor, but the pages contents caught his attention. They were drawings of the Reapers.

The Reapers?

An idea popped up in his head. "The enemy of my enemy is my friend."

"Finn, let's move!"

The boy in question looked up at Lincoln. "How far did the Reapers chase you?"

He never thought he would be fed up with the boy, but man was he close to— "They'd still be chasing me if I didn't lose them. Why?"

"...I have a really bad idea."


	18. these are the things, the things we lost

TW: Lots of violence (And I mean a lot. Beheading, injury, bleeding, etc.), Cursing, MAJOR CHARACTER DEATH

Based on 01x13

Title: Bastille - The Things We Lost

* * *

 **October 10, Year 2149  
Trikru Territory  
Senaah Forest, Outside the Delinquent's Campsite**

* * *

One minute the sky was pitch black with only a few stars were barely visible. The next, **_Boom!_** Light exploded out of nowhere in atmosphere, unprovoked, sending bits of luminous pieces down to the Earth. Both Trikru warriors and the sky people whipped their heads up to the sky, watching the small pieces of debris catch on fire and fall to Earth. But most knew it wasn't just regular debris.

Bellamy and Kova stumbled down a small trail when the explosion happened, carrying Octavia between them, hidden from the fight below by the trees. They were on top of a steep hill where the foxhole was, but Octavia was losing her energy fast — way too fast to be normal. It was getting harder and harder to carry her so they sat her down by a tree, crouching on either side of her. "Is that from the Ark?" Octavia asked, her voice rough, craning her head as much as she could.

"No, that **is** the Ark." Her brother responded, his eyes wide and focused on the sky. They hadn't realized how quiet it became until they heard voices speaking beneath them.

" _Reinforcements."_

Oh, Kova could tell who's voice that belonged to instantaneously, and it sent shivers down their spine.

" _When they get here, they won't find anyone alive. Take down the gate!"_

Tristan's shout brought the Blakes back into the situation, turning to Kova for a translation. "They're trying to take down the gate."

Just as Bellamy opened his mouth, strange whooping came from _somewhere_ but the thick trees of the forest made it hard to tell where. It wasn't difficult to recognize _who_ was making that noise. "Fuck." They cursed under their breath, instinctively slouching even further to avoid anyone's eyesight. "Get down."

"Why?"

"Reapers!" Tristan's voice carried over the sounds of the whooping. From their angle, they couldn't exactly see what was going on down at the bottom of the hills. Bellamy decided to check on Octavia's wound while Kova looked through the bushes. They were expecting to see many things, but definitely not Lincoln and Finn running down to the bottom of the hill, freeze under the spotlight of the Trikru's warriors for a second, then run up the opposite hill. _Their hill._ In the middle of it all, they were sure they made eye contact with their brother, and they thought they could see a fraction of a smile before he disappeared from their sight. Kova pushed themselves to the balls of their feet before standing, still hunched over, and turned to where Lincoln and Finn should be coming from. Just as an instinctive precaution, they stepped in front of Bellamy and Octavia and kept a hand on the handle of their sword.

"Kova?" The kyongedon didn't bother turning to respond to Bellamy as their brother came out from the bushes. "Kova? Octavia?"

"Lincoln?" Octavia murmured, trying to sit up. She grunted in pain until Bellamy brought her against the tree. "Don't force yourself." He scolded.

Lincoln offered his forearm in greeting. Kova took their hand off the handle of their sword and used it to smack Lincoln's outstretched arm away and wrapped their arms around his waist, hugging him tightly. He seemed more surprised about the smack rather than the hug, but the Blakes could see a bit of teeth in his smile as he hugged Kova back. "It's good to see you too."

"I thought you died."

The hug ended faster than either one would've liked, but they had to avoid any wandering eyes from down the hill. They squatted by the Blakes, Lincoln taking Octavia's hand and kissing it as a greeting. His bright eyes darkened slightly when he realized there was an arrow sticking out of her leg.

Bellamy cleared his throat. "You did that?" He asked, jerking his head to the fight between the Trikru warriors and the Reapers.

"With Finn, yes. He's crazy, but it worked." Lincoln couldn't take his eyes off the wound.

 _"_ _Brother."_ Kova interrupted, placing a hand on his shoulder. _"Octavia's been hit. I can't tell if there's poison involved or not, she's losing her energy fast."_ They spoke in Trigedasleng to avoid panic from the sky siblings.

He looked at Octavia, taking into account of her pale and sweaty face. He switched his gaze back to the wound, checking the area. "It's deep. I can help but you would have to come with me now."

"Go." Bellamy spoke, surprising all of them. God it pained him to say this, but he couldn't do anything to help — especially in the middle of a _literal_ war — and if this gro… If Lincoln could save his sister, then he'll swallow his pride. "Let him help you."

"No way, I have to…" While the Blakes talked, Kova turned to Lincoln. "I heard you almost sacrificed yourself to the Reapers for Finn and Clarke."

"Kova—"

"I'm glad you're okay." That… was a surprise. He was expecting a lecture, but there was only kindness and a hint of tiredness in their eyes. "You better get out of this mess alive as well."

He tilted his head slightly to the side. "You're not coming with us?" Lincoln couldn't help but slouch slightly in disappointment when Kova shook their head. "I can't risk getting caught by Trikru. You know what they'll do to me — I'll be lucky if I only get death by a thousand cuts." Their brother flinched at the mere thought of it. "I'm going to stay and help them finish this. If it doesn't work out, I'll head over to Floukru."

Lincoln wanted nothing more than to be back together again. He knew they had spent months without contacting each other before, but that was during a time where they could rest easy knowing they were okay with Trikru. But now they were both wanted for treachery (among other things). He would have to wait. He wrapped his arms around them, hugging tightly before letting go.

All of them stood, helping Octavia get up in the process.

"Watch out for each other, please." Kova spoke softly, tucking Octavia's hair behind her ear.

"You guys too." She responded with a nod of their head, her eyes darkening in seriousness.

The pair of siblings glanced at each other, an unsaid and unbreakable vow forming between the four of them. _'Protect my sibling, and I'll protect yours.'_

"I'll try and send a carrier later when we find a safe place." Lincoln said before lifting Octavia bridal style and rushing off into the darkness. The two eldest watched their younger siblings leave, worry etched in their faces.

 _"_ _Take down the gate!"_

Tristan's shout brought the two back into action. They both immediately crouched behind the bushes. "What did he say?"

"He said to take down the gate." Kova muttered, pulling the weeds to the sides to see below. "They finished taking down the Reapers." They pulled away from the foliage and turned to Bellamy. "Come on, let's get going."

Down below in the pit, the Reapers were making the battle tough. Thankfully they were buying extra time for Raven to finish arming the dropship and for the delinquents to make their way back. Bellamy and Kova hastily made their way across the hill, going down narrow paths full of dead branches and foliage. _'Hopefully the fight below is louder than us.'_ Kova thought as the foxhole revealed itself behind the bushes.

"Finally, there it is."

The two headed towards a cleared area. The weeds were trampled down by the delinquents who helped build the foxhole. The stems and branches cracked underneath their shoes, but something was off to Kova. There shouldn't be three pairs of cracks—?

The kyongedon whirled around and gripped the collar of Bellamy's shirt, dragging him behind them as they ripped their sword from its sheath and held it up sideways above their head. Another sword swung down on them, metal whining above them, the strength behind it almost matching Kova's. Glancing at the floor, Kova figured out how the Trikru warrior was so quiet. _'They were stepping in our footprints to match the noise.'_ They grit their teeth, charging all their energy into a push. _'Smart.'_

The push sent both fighters back but it took Kova a few extra seconds to recalibrate.

The other warrior used that as an advantage and moved in closer, about to swing again just as two gunshots rang through the clearing. Their bullet-ridden knee slammed into the floor and before the unnamed warrior could understand what had happened, Kova was already there to deal the final blow.

Sliced by the neck, the head rolled off its shoulders.

Bellamy felt the back of his throat close up. He tried his hardest to look as indifferent as Kova did, watching the head bounce off the floor and roll to the side without even a hint of a grimace, but he couldn't. He turned away slightly, burying his nose into the crook of his elbow to prevent gagging.

They waited for the body to drop lifelessly to the floor, sprawled out, bleeding. Instead the body was frozen, right hand still gripping the sword, twitching. Kova slowly took a step back, fear growing in their eyes. _'Something's not right.'_

The body's twitching hand suddenly swung the sword to Kova's side. They just barely managed to block it, earning a small slice between their hip and leg for their negligence.

Eyes wide, Bellamy could only watch as Kova stumbled back, nearly losing their balance as the body continued following them. They used their sword to block the wild swings from the dead body and buy themselves some time. The body's knees collapsed first, arms still swinging, until the rest of it completely collapsed, blood pooling around the sliced neck.

While reading about France during its political revolutions, Bellamy remembered reading about the eyes of the beheaded still moving after death, time ranging from a few seconds to a few minutes. He would never had expected...something like this. He rushed over, purposely avoiding the body. "What the fuck was that?!" He asked while Kova caught their breath and checked on their fresh wound.

"Some warriors fight after death." They responded, flicking their sword to knock some of the blood off of its metal. "Not for long, just until their body follows their spirit." They sheathed the weapon and placed their hand on his shoulder, jerking their head to the side, motioning to the foxhole. "Let's keep going—"

"You don't seem surprised by it."

The two stood next to each other, Bellamy facing the opposite way of the foxhole. God, a part of him wished he didn't ask about it, but he had to know. What kind of place was this? How could Kova just walk away from what they witnessed as if it were nothing? He noticed their breath hitched slightly before they spoke. "I've seen it twice, including this. The other time was during the Azgeda war a few years ago." They started walking to the passageway. "I've also read it happening in an ancient script. It's not a common thing to happen. Now let's get going."

It was at that moment Bellamy remembered who exactly Kova was. A warrior, someone who had to fight for their life in wars and battles, they had seen much worse than this to the point where they were unaffected by the sight of a severed head. That was the culture they grew up in. He had never thought about that until now.

Neither one of them spoke as they made their way through the foxhole in silence.

* * *

 **October 10, Year 2149  
Trikru Territory  
Senaah Forest, Delinquent's Campsite**

* * *

"Use the grenades!"

The curtains of the dropship were already pulled off in order to prevent a fire inside the dropship when they launched. In front of the dropship, Wells and his team formed a line and threw explosives to the gate where the Trikru warriors were pouring in. Clarke stood by the door of the dropship, waiting for the rest of the delinquents to fall back, but most importantly she was waiting for her friends. They just needed more time for everyone. Finn stood by her side, rushing everyone inside the dropship.

"Where are they?" She asked, looking through the battle.

From the corner of his eye, Finn saw movement coming from the foxhole. "There!" He pointed to her just as Kova and Bellamy popped out. The distance between the two and the dropship was far too great, and the battle in the middle wasn't helping their circumstance.

"They're never gonna make it." Clarke murmured in horror. "Guys, run!"

The two heard her voice over the noise from the battle. Just as they were about to sprint to the dropship, warriors immediately intercepted them. Clarke's call must have also gained their attention.

"Oh god." She gripped the sand bags she hid behind while Kova and Bellamy pulled out their respective weapons. Back to back, they slashed and shot through the warriors while discreetly making their way to the dropship until Bellamy strayed a bit too far, shooting at a certain warrior.

"Bellamy, no! That's Tristan!"

 _Click, click._

The gun was jammed.

Tristan flinched at gun until he realized it wasn't working. A sneer appeared on his face as he swung his sword at Bellamy's stomach. He jumped back but couldn't regain his footing in time. Tristan threw a hard punch to his face, sending Bellamy stumbling back. As if that wasn't enough, Tristan kneed him in the stomach and threw his weapon to the side like a worthless toy. Neither one of them had a functioning weapon, so all Clarke and Finn could do was watch in horror. "He's killing him!"

Bellamy was on the floor, groaning, unaware of Tristan's sword glinting above him. Finn turned around just as a gunner ran by him. "Give me that." He said as he snatched the gun from him and aimed at Tristan.

"Finn, no!"

He shot twice, but only one bullet made its way through Tristan's shoulder just as he was about to swing his sword through Bellamy. Running out of bullets, Finn tackled Tristan to the floor before rolling off him and to the side. Bellamy stood up slowly and stumbled his way to Tristan. He pulled him by the collar from the floor before giving him a few punches until Tristan kicked him off by the stomach.

"Clarke!" Miller called, tugging her by her arm frantically. "Listen, you can't save everybody. Let's go! Let's go." Time seemed to slow down as Finn sat up and made eye contact with Clarke. He gave her a nod. She didn't need words to know what he meant. _'Go, save the rest of them.'_

Just as another warrior was about to smash his head in with an axe, Kova speared through the warrior's stomach with their sword from behind. "Clarke, go!" They shouted, pulling their weapon out. Their voice knocked Clarke back into action, determined to help as many people as she could.

She ran back inside the dropship, Miller hot on her heels. "Monty, is it ready?"

"Yeah." He held the switch in his sweaty hand. "All you have to do it close the dropship."

Clarke nodded and placed her hand on the lever for a second. _'I'm so sorry.'_ Just as she was about to pull, she felt a hand on top of hers. Wells stood next to her, his smile not quite reaching to his eyes. "Together." Her eyes widened, tears forming at the corners. "Together." They pulled the lever down, letting go after hearing the groaning of metal.

"Grounder!"

The two turned around at the sound of Miller's voice. He stood in the middle of the room by himself, his gun aimed at a warrior sprinting madly to the closing door. "Anya, don't!" Clarke's warning didn't even phase the Unit Leader. All the delinquents straightened and brought their weapons up as Anya pounced, ready to drop and roll into the dropship until a familiar figure tackled her by the stomach from the side and took her down.

The door closed with a final clank as the delinquents stood there in shock. "Oh my god." Wells voice broke the silence in the room. "That was Kova."

No one else spoke, still in shock. Eventually Clarke spoke up. "Let's wait a few minutes so our people on the other side can have a chance to run."

* * *

 **October 10, Year 2149  
Trikru Territory  
Senaah Forest, Outside the Delinquent's Campsite  
Gate Entrance**

* * *

"Ugh!"

On the other side of the dropship door, Kova tackled Anya to the floor and rolled around a few times before letting go and rolling themselves away. The two Trikru warriors jumped to their feet at the same time, whipping out their swords. Behind Anya, the other warriors began to slam against the dropship, trying to find another way inside.

 _'_ _Let's just hope they don't use Murphy's exit.'_ They thought as the two began to circle each other.

"You don't need that mask anymore, traitor." Anya provoked, flicking her sword. "We all know it's you, Kova."

They clenched their jaw tightly before slowly pushing the mask up, letting it rest on top of their head. "Don't forget Tristan threw away my trust in the clan, Lieutenant." They said just as the dropship door closed with a final clank.

"I was surprised, you know. I wasn't expecting you out of all people to attack me at the bridge..." While Anya spoke, Kova was already formulating a plan to escape. Not because of Anya, but because of the sky people's plan. _'There should be a foxhole right behind me.'_ Kova's eyes flickered between the dropship and Anya. _'Will she follow me? I'm not sure, but I don't have a lot of time.'_

Without revealing their plan, they sprinted away from Anya and jumped right into a foxhole.

Anya stood there, frozen in shock. _'They were never known to cower from a fight.'_ She thought as she turned to look back at the door of the dropship. _'Unless…'_ Anya watched with eyebrows furrowed as a few figures ran to the gate, but they definitely weren't Trikru. Her eyes widened and she began to run toward the gate as well. "Everyone retreat! They're going to—"

The dropship launched, sending fire throughout the camp. As soon as Anya was close enough she lurched to the side of the gate, crawling away from the entrance as much as she could to avoid the flames. That didn't stop the heat from washing over her, nor the screams of her warriors burning to death. Anya turned her head at the sound of crackling behind her and watched in horror as a warrior stumbled out of the gates, completely enveloped in fire. They fell to their knees just outside the entrance of the camp, their screaming lowering as they burned to death.

* * *

 **October 11, Year 2149  
Trikru Territory  
Senaah Forest, Outside the Delinquent's Campsite  
Foxhole**

* * *

The moment Kova hopped into the foxhole they sprinted down the narrow passage. While looking back to check for danger, they tripped over something and tumbled over multiple times, sending dirt flying everywhere. "Shit." They muttered, rolling to their side and sitting up. They checked on their wounded leg, bleeding freely and covered in dirt.

Kova sucked their teeth and switched their gaze to whatever they tripped over — a leg. Eyebrows furrowed, they looked up and scrambled back in horror. Jasper's eyes stared lifelessly at them. His body sat up against the wall of the foxhole, a spear through his heart.

"Double shit." Kova exhaled, pinching the bridge of their nose and clenching their eyes tightly. The sound of rumbling from the entrance caught their ears. They opened their eyes only to see light reflecting off the walls as the foxhole grew hotter.

"Shit, shit shit!" They panicked and scrambled down the rest of the passage, feeling the heat of the flames lick at their legs. Kova climbed out of the foxhole and rolled off to the left just as fire erupted from the exit, sending ash and dust everywhere. They curled up to the side, eye and muscles clenched tightly, trying to ignore the heat against their back. Once the flames subsided, they relaxed their body and opened their eyes. In front of them were Jasper's goggles, blood splattered across the lens.

They held the goggles in one hand before laying on their back, blackness spotting the sides of their vision.

"Fuck."

* * *

 **October 11, Year 2149  
Trikru Territory  
Senaah Forest, Delinquent's Dropship**

* * *

The dropship opened slowly which created a suction of the rancid air from the outside. The first sense that hit the delinquents was the smell of the — dust? No, the _ash_. The stench of burning human flesh stuck around, embedding itself into the dead trees around them. Clarke was the first to step out, Monty following after. Although it was war, the fact they killed all these soldiers created a cold stone in their guts. Wells grimaced at the sight of the bones surrounding them, knowing a few were most likely their own.

All the delinquents eventually stepped out, taking in their surroundings. The only exceptions were Raven and the other sick people still inside the dropship.

 _Clang!_

Red smoke clashed with the pile up of grey dust as cans were thrown in from over the wall. "What the hell?" Clarke said, ready to tell everyone to head back in the dropship. However she felt woozy, _real_ woozy out of nowhere. The others did too after inhaling the red smoke, and some even began to collapse. Coughing sounded throughout the group as they all fell, but Monty managed to get a few words out before falling unconscious.

"Mountain men."


	19. it's the end of the world as we know it

**May 8th 2052**

People all around the world watched the news in horror as newscasters announced that 27 nuclear missiles were sent to the USA from China as a sudden act of war. Not so long after that, other ally countries retaliated, resulting in the final nuclear war that destroyed the Earth and the human race.

Almost, anyways.

 **May 9th 2052**

Only the privileged, the well educated, and those with good connections could travel to safety — space. There were dozens of stations that were launched into Earth's orbit, far enough from the radiation but close enough for the possibility of returning in the future. However many stations overheated after passing through the atmospheres. Only twelve nations survived. This included Brazil, Canada, China, India, Iraq, Japan, Nigeria, Russia, the UK, the USA, Uganda, and Venezuela.

When the plot was unveiled and the public learned of the launch, riots and protests and violence broke out but it was already too late. They were left behind on Earth to await their impending doom that most didn't deserve. The population of Earth was approximately 9.7 billion before the nuclear missiles hit the ground.

 **May 10th 2052**

5 billion people were wiped out in the attacks in addition to the 2 billion that died of radiation poisoning, disease, famine, and other factors. Only 2.7 billion people survived the onslaught and the radiation lingering. Many were survivalists who took refuge within bunkers or fled underground, other so happened to be lucky and weren't affected by the radiation as much.

More would die due to the new enemy that sprung from the ashes of nature.

 **Year 2055**

The nuclear winter prevented the survivors from leaving their safe spaces. The intense winds mixed with ash and dust also prevented life from growing on Earth, and the rapid lightning that occurred created fires that destroyed any hopes of preserving the forests. Most survivalists stuck on Earth grew food in their bunkers, but resources were thinning out. Some were forced into immoral instincts such as cannibalism.

Those who escaped managed to live decently in space. The Ark was formed by combining all twelve stations together. Research station Polaris was also suppose to join, but it was shot down by the USA station as a lesson to the other stations for not complying to dock. Rumors spread around the Ark, but only the higher ups knew what truly happened and Polaris was eventually forgotten.

Just before Polaris was destroyed, Becca flew down to Earth in an escape pod with the Nightblood serum and A.L.I.E. 2.0. When she landed she was taken in by a group of survivors. When the survivors found out about Becca's serum, they gave themselves up as volunteers, excited at the concept of returning to the ground instead of back into the bunkers. She injected the serum to as many volunteers until they ran out. 39 people were injected so they could metabolize the lingering radiation and hunt for any salvageable resources on the ground. They connected groups of survivors to each other from all over the eastern side of the USA and became leaders of these groups.

The survivors of the Foresakening, or the last nuclear war, were classified as the Deserted generation. Those with the serum were called the night bleeders. They were the only ones who could use the advanced technology Becca had, A.L.I.E 2.0.

 **Year 2065**

The climate finally became bearable and life was returning to the surface of the Earth. Natural resources were limited and had to be rationed, which created many fights that escalated into wars. The original 40 groups swallowed one another until 12 clans were left. Becca used A.L.I.E. 2.0 to offer solid plans on rationing limited food and collecting rainwater to filter into drinkable water. Her popularity between all 12 clans skyrocketed and so did her title. She became Commander Becca who shared whatever knowledge and ideas to the 12 clans by using A.L.I.E 2.0.

With Commander Becca's peaceful era, the Deserted interacted with one another and began to produce the next generation. They were affected the most by the radiation. The mutations were random but the most common ones were extra/missing limbs, bone/organ displacement, facial changes, tumors or cysts, and/or cancer.

Many families resorted to infanticide or abandonment until Commander Becca was made aware of the practice and outlawed it with few exceptions. However many children with birth defects were forced into sterilization to prevent them from reproducing more children with mutations.

The scientists of the Deserted researched into some mutations and concurred that many red-blooded babies were able to survive despite the radiation because their bodies had begun to adapt and metabolize radiation out of their system naturally.

These children of the Deserted were named generation X to symbolize their DNA adapting to the new world.

 **Years 2080's-2090's**

The Deserted were beginning to die off from old age and/or health related problems. Even those with the serum were dying off like flies. They decided to spend their last few years preserving their memory through writing and linguistics because they didn't want the memory of the old humans to die off. They also gave advice and a "to-do" list for the future upcoming generations.

Just before she died, Commander Becca and other nightbloods created a system to pass down the title of "Commander of the 12 clans." There would be a survival of the fittest conclave in terms of brains, culture, and strength.

In the meantime, generation X was beginning to reproduce and teach their children the four basic lessons: literature, history, math, and science. This way the past achievements humans have made would not be forgotten.

Commander Becca was the last of the Deserted to die in 2099.

 **Year 2100**

There were a few Commanders after Becca left her post, but the most important one was Commander Rha from Azgeda. He became the next commander by cheating his way through the conclave through bribery and intimidation. His incompetence and selfishness created wars between the clans. He refused to help other clans but Azgeda and because the resources weren't being maintained as Commander Becca ordered, thousands died to famine and dehydration.

 **Year 2140**

40 years of war had depleted the people's patience. Most of generation X were in their 60's to 80's, still alive because of the adaptations their bodies created. However in their old age, they wanted to die knowing there was potential peace within the twelve clans. They penetrated Commander Rha's army with their own soldiers: their children. These soldiers joined Commander Rha the day before the battle and ended the four decades of violence with him. This deemed the children of generation X as the Unforgiving generation.

 **Year 2142**

The next conclave had an additional touch given by the Unforgiving to prevent something like this from happening again. The people could now vote for who they believe had the best intentions of leading the 12 clans. Although many believed Luna of Floukru would have became the next leader, she abandoned the conclave. Instead Commander Lexa from Trikru as the ruler at 16 years old. She created an alliance and invited the 12 clans, but someone had intercepted the invitation to the Azgeda clan.

Enraged by the death of Commander Rha and not being part of the Coalition, Azgeda retaliated. They sent people to kidnap, torture, and murder the lover of Commander Lexa: Costia. When the news broke out, the people were worried a new war would begin between the coalition and Azgeda. Commander Lexa surprised all by pushing the incident aside and invited Azgeda to enter the Coalition. Because of this, no one questioned her rule as a peaceful Commander in contrast to Rha, but the relationship between the two clans were still fragile.

The majority of those who voted for Commander Lexa were the Preserver generation. She wanted to rebuild old infrastructure as well as create better learning centers for the children of the Preserver generation, usually referred to as the Future generation. By creating museums and libraries, relics and knowledge were rescued from the ashes. These institutions are well guarded because they believe they are the last survivors of the human race.

The Preservers tend to favor peace as well as historical preservation such as the Lincoln Memorial. They tend to be the most informed of human history ranging from all different unknown countries to them. One main goal Commander Lexa had was to regain the internet, some type of technology that could potentially help them regrow society once more.

 **The Generations**

Deserted Gen - These were the original earthborns that survived the nuclear apocalypse, also renamed as the Foresakening. Because of the news they witnessed, they believe China sent nuclear missiles to America, which caused a nuclear war. They officially died in year 2099 with the death of Commander Becca.

All are dead, no examples

Gen X - They are currently the elders of the human race. They were the first generation born after the Foresakening. They were the most affected by the radiation. Those with defects are forced into sterilization or abstinence. They were forced to deal with Commander Rha's selfishness.

Example: Commander Rha (OC) (dead)

Between Gen X and Unforgiving - Semet from 03x06 (Mid 60's)

Unforgiving Gen - They are the ones who assassinated Commander Rha to survive and create peace between the clans. They are more survivalists than preservers.

Example: Indra (Mid 40's)

Between Unforgiving and Preserve - Anya (Mid 30's)

Preserver Gen - They want to restore the old society of humans. They try to fix cities and create cultural institutions so they do not forget what kind of people they were before the Foresakening. They live in a time of peace which gives them better opportunities for the four basic values: literature, history, maths, and sciences.

Examples: Lincoln, Nyko, Luna, Kova (OC) (Mid 20's)

Between Preservers and Future - Commander Lexa and Niylah (ages 16-22)

Future Gen - These are the teenagers/children of the Preservers. Their main focus are the basic values as well as exercise to be prepared for the future. This group are expected to learn more of the basic values to help finish Commander Lexa's goal: Get the internet back so we can learn more about ourselves and how to rebuild society once more.

Examples: Artigas, Tris, and Gaia (Mid 10's)

After a poll, many have said they would prefer they/them pronouns for the main character! So Kova uses they/them/their. Yes, it's grammatically correct.

1/13/19 - 666 views

1/14/19 - 669 views

noice


	20. author's note (not super important)

Hi everyone!

I'm Illya, the writer of this fanfic series! I finally finished updating this "book" and now I'll be making no more edits (hopefully), so if you want to re-read it to see any changes go ahead, but if you don't that's cool too, it doesn't change what happens in book 2! Of course book 2 is already out and running, and hopefully I'll have an update for that by next friday ^^

Anyways thank you guys so much! I'll delete this a/n in a few days, so I'll see you soon :3c


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